Depression and Loss

Abstract

Recent losses occurring in the two years before onset of depression in women are distinguished from past losses occurring at any time before this. Of past losses only loss of mother before II is associated with greater risk of depression--both among women treated by psychiatrists and among women found to be suffering from depression in a random sample of 458 women living in London. Past loss of a father or sibling before 17 (or a mother between II and 17), or a child or husband, is not associated with a greater chance of developing depression. However, among patients all types of past loss by death are associated with psychotic-like depressive symptoms (and their severity) and other types of past loss with neurotic-type depressive symptoms (and their severity). It is argued that these associations probably reflect direct causal links, and a sociopsychological theory to explain them is discussed.

Environment and vulnerability to major psychiatric illness: a case control study of early parental loss in major depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia

“…[20][21][22] (2) Differences between depressed patients and controls with regard to separation experiences (of variable length) have tended to become more definitive as the methodological rigor of case control studies has increased 18,23 and are a relatively consistent finding in epidemiologically based samples. [20][21][22] (3) There is a trend for loss of mother to be more associated with depression than loss of father, 19,24 but this finding is not consistent. 20,23 (4) Loss in early childhood has been reported to be of greater pathogenic significance than loss in later childhood and adolescence 24,25 but this was not observed in all studies.…”

“…[20][21][22] (3) There is a trend for loss of mother to be more associated with depression than loss of father, 19,24 but this finding is not consistent. 20,23 (4) Loss in early childhood has been reported to be of greater pathogenic significance than loss in later childhood and adolescence 24,25 but this was not observed in all studies. 20 (5) Loss in females, 19 particularly of mother, 23 may be more associated with later development of depression than loss in males.…”

Life event stress and psychiatric illness

“…Paykel (1974), attempting to evaluate the importance of recent loss in the genesis of depression, calculated that some 8% of depressions could be attributed to such exit events. Neither Paykel (1974) nor Brown et al (1977) found the relation between life event stress and illness to be stronger for neurotic depression than for psychotic or endogenous depression. Cooper & Sylph (1973) studied new episodes of neurotic illness presenting in general practice, and employed Brown's technique to assess life events.…”

The preeminent role of early untoward experience on vulnerability to major psychiatric disorders: the nature-nurture controversy revisited and soon to be resolved

“…The Agid et al 2 study represents an advance in the field beyond the pioneering epidemiological studies of Brown and colleagues in the United Kingdom 4 and the elegant twin study of Kendler and colleagues. 5 First it rigorously defines the early trauma as early parental loss (death of parent or physical separation from a parent when the patient was 17 years of age or younger), had a remarkably high rate of participation obviating concerns of selection bias, utilized two psychiatrists to ensure diagnostic reliability, and included a demographically matched group of normal controls.…”