Psychotic depression in private practice outpatients

Prevalence of psychotic depression, and comparison between psychotic and nonpsychotic depression, were studied in 203 consecutive unipolar and bipolar outpatients presenting for treatment of depression in a private practice. Prevalence was 14%. Of the variables investigated (unipolar/bipolar diagnosis, age at baseline/onset, gender, recurrences, atypical features, comorbidity, chronicity, duration of illness, baseline severity) bipolar I diagnosis was significantly more common, and severity of depression was significantly greater in psychotic vs nonpsychotic depression. Discordant findings in the literature may be related to the different samples studied. (C) 1998 Elsevier, Paris.