Comprehensive Psychiatry
Volume 51, Issue 3 , Pages 266-274 , May 2010

Minor and major depression in the general population: does dysfunctional thinking play a role?

  • L. Esther de Graaf

      Affiliations

    • Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
    • Department of Medical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Erasmus Medical Centre, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Department of Medical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Erasmus Medical Centre, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Tel.: + 31 (0) 10 7043988; fax: + 31 (0) 10 7044695.
    • ,
  • Marcus J.H. Huibers

      Affiliations

    • Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
    • ,
  • Pim Cuijpers

      Affiliations

    • Department of Clinical Psychology, VU University, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands
    • ,
  • Arnoud Arntz

      Affiliations

    • Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands

References 

  1. Kessler RC, Zhao S, Blazer DG, Swartz M. Prevalence, correlates, and course of minor depression and major depression in the national comorbidity survey. J Affect Disord. 1997;45:19–30
  2. Beck DA, Koenig HG. Minor depression: a review in literature. Int J Psychiatry Med. 1996;26:177–209
  3. Chen LS, Eaton WW, Gallo JJ, Nestadt G, Crum RM. Empirical examination of current depression categories in a population-based study: symptoms, course, and risk factors. Am J Psychiatry. 2000;157:573–580
  4. Cuijpers P, Smit F, Oostenbrink J, de Graaf R, ten Have M, Beekmand A. Economic costs of minor depression: a population-based study. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2007;115:229–236
  5. Fogel J, Eaton WW, Ford DE. Minor depression as a predictor of the first onset of major depressive disorder over a 15-year follow-up. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2006;113:36–43
  6. Prisciandaro JJ, Roberts JE. A taxometric investigation of unipolar depression in the national comorbidity survey. J Abnorm Psychol. 2005;114:718–728
  7. Ruscio J, Ruscio AM. Clarifying boundary issues in psychopathology: the role of taxometrics in a comprehensive program of structural research. J Abnorm Psychol. 2004;113:24–38
  8. Solomon A, Ruscio J, Seeley JR, Lewinsohn PM. A taxometric investigation of unipolar depression in a large community sample. Psychol Med. 2006;36:1–13
  9. Solomon A, Haaga DAF, Arnow BA. Is clinical depression distinct from subthreshold depressive symptoms? A review of the continuity issue in depression research. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2001;189:498–506
  10. Cuijpers P, de Graaf R, van Dorsselaer S. Minor depression: risk profiles, functional disability, health care use and risk of developing major depression. J Affect Disord. 2004;79:71–79
  11. Backenstrass M, Frank A, Joest K, Hingmann S, Mundt C, Kronmüller KT. A comparative study of nonspecific depressive symptoms and minor depression regarding functional impairment and associated characteristics in primary care. Compr Psychiatry. 2006;47:35–41
  12. Meehl PE. Bootstraps taxometrics. Solving the classification problem in psychopathology. Am Psychol. 1995;50:266–275
  13. Waller NG, Meehl PE. Multivariate taxometric procedures: distiguishing types from continua. Thousand Oaks: Sage; 1998;
  14. Slade T, Andrews G. Latent structure of depression in a community sample: a taxometric analysis. Psychol Med. 2005;35:489–497
  15. Ruscio J, Zimmerman M, McGlinchey JB, Chelminski I, Young D. Diagnosing major depressive disorder: XI. A taxometric investigation of the categorical-dimensional debate on the structure underlying DSM-IV symptoms. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2007;195:10–19
  16. Beck AT. Cognitive therapy of depression: new perspectives. In:  Clayton PJ,  Barrett JE editor. Treatment of depression: old controversies and new approaches. New York: Raven Press; 1983;p. 265–290
  17. Beck AT. Depression: clinical, experimental and theoretical aspects. New York: Hoeber; 1967;
  18. Kwon S, Oei TPS. Differential causal roles of dysfunctional attitudes and automatic thoughts in depression. Cogn Ther Res. 1992;16:309–328
  19. Olinger LJ, Kuiper NA, Shaw BF. Dysfunctional attitudes and stressful life events: an interactive model of depression. Cogn Ther Res. 1987;11:25–40
  20. Ingram RE, Miranda J, Segal ZV. Cognitive vulnerability to depression. New York: Guilford Press; 1998;
  21. Beevers CG, Keitner GI, Ryan CE, Miller IW. Cognitive predictors of symptom return following depression treatment. J Abnorm Psychol. 2003;112:488–496
  22. Petersen TJ, Feldman G, Harley R, Fresco DM, Graves L, Holmes A, et al. Extreme response style in recurrent and chronically depressed patients: change with antidepressant administration and stability during continuation treatment. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2007;75:145–153
  23. Teasdale JD, Scott J, Moore RG, Hayhurst H, Pope M, Paykel ES. How does cognitive therapy prevent relapse in residual depression? Evidence from a controlled trial. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2001;69:347–357
  24. Weissman AN. Assessing depressogenic attitudes: a validation study: Unpublished thesis, University of Pennsylvania; 1979.
  25. Clark DA, Beck AT, Alford BA. Scientific foundations of cognitive theory and therapy of depression. New York: Wiley; 1999;
  26. Alloy LB, Abramson LY, Hogan ME, Whitehouse WG, Rose DT, Robinson MS, et al. The Temple-Wisconsin cognitive vulnerability to depression project: lifetime history of axis I psychopathology in individuals at high and low cognitive risk for depression. J Abnorm Psychol. 2000;109:403–418
  27. Alloy LB, Abramson LY, Whitehouse WG, Hogan ME, Panzarella C, Rose DT. Prospective incidence of first onsets and recurrences of depression in individuals at high and low cognitive risk for depression. J Abnorm Psychol. 2006;115:145–156
  28. Gibb BE, Alloy LB, Abramson LY, Beevers CG, Miller IW. Cognitive vulnerability to depression: a taxometric analysis. J Abnorm Psychol. 2004;113:81–89
  29. Ruscio J, Ruscio AM. A conceptual and methodological checklist for conducting a taxometric investigation. Behav Ther. 2004;35:403–447
  30. Hill CV, Oei TPS, Hill MA. An empirical investigation of the specificity and sensitivity of the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire and Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale. J Psychopathol Behav Assess. 1989;11:291–311
  31. Hollon SD, Kendall PS, Lumry A. Specificity of depressotypic cognitions in clinical depression. J Abnorm Psychol. 1986;95:52–59
  32. Cuijpers P, Smit F. Subthreshold depression as a risk indicator for major depressive disorder: a systematic review of prospective studies. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2004;109:325–331
  33. de Graaf LE, Gerhards SAH, Evers SMAA, Arntz A, Riper H, Severens JL, et al. Clinical and cost-effectiveness of computerised cognitive behavioural therapy for depression in primary care: design of a randomised trial. BMC Public Health. 2008;8:224
  34. Zimmerman M, Sheeran T, Young D. The Diagnostic Inventory for Depression: a self-report scale to diagnose DSM-IV major depressive disorder. Clin Psychol. 2004;60:87–110
  35. Zimmerman M, Chelminski I, McGlinchey JB, Young D. Diagnosing major depressive disorder VI; performance of an objective test as a diagnostic criterion. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2006;194:565–569
  36. Sheeran T, Zimmerman M. Case identification of depression with self-report questionnaires. Psychiatry Res. 2002;109:51–59
  37. de Graaf LE, Huibers MJH. Introductie van de Diagnostic Inventory for Depression in Nederland. Tijdschrift voor Psychiatrie. 2009;51:675–686
  38. Beck AT, Guth D, Steer RA, Ball R. Screening for major depression disorders in medical inpatients with the beck depression inventory for primary care. Behav Res Ther. 1997;35:785–791
  39. Steer RA, Cavalieri TA, Leonard DM, Beck AT. Use of the Beck Depression Inventory for Primary Care to screen for major depressive disorders. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 1999;21:106–111
  40. Winter LB, Steer RA, Jones-Hicks L, Beck AT. Screening for major depression disorders in adolescent medical outpatients with the Beck Depression Inventory for Primary Care. J Adolesc Health. 1999;24:389–394
  41. Weissman AN, Beck AT. Development and validation of the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale. In: paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy. Chicago. 1978;
  42. de Graaf LE, Roelofs J, Huibers MJH. Measuring dysfunctional attitudes in the general population: the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (form A) revised. Cogn Ther Res. 2009;33:345–355
  43. Berg IA, Rapaport GM. Response bias in an unstructured questionnaire. J Psychol. 1954;38:475–481
  44. van IJzendoorn MH. Answers without questions: a note on response style questionnaires. Percept Mot Skills. 1984;59:827–831
  45. de Jonge P, Slaets JPJ. Response sets in self-report data and their associations with personality traits. Eur J Psychiatry. 2005;19:209–214
  46. Cohen J. Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum; 1988;
  47. Cohen J. Quantitative methods in psychology: a power primer. Psychol Bull. 1992;112:155–159
  48. Flett GL, Vredenburg K, Krames L. The continuity of depression in clinical and nonclinical samples. Psychol Bull. 1997;121:395–416
  49. Beck AT, Brown G, Steer RA, Weissman AN. Factor analysis of the dysfunctional attitude scale in a clinical population. Psychol Assess. 1991;3:183–478
  50. Coyne JC, Whiffen VE. Issues in personality as diathesis for depression: the case of sociotropy-dependency and autonomy-self-criticism. Psychol Bull. 1995;118:358–378
  51. Teasdale JD, Segal ZV, Williams JMG, Ridgeway VA, Soulsby JM, Lau MA. Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2000;68:615–623
  52. Beck AT, Rush AJ, Shaw BF, Emery G. Cognitive therapy of depression. New York: Guildford Press; 1979;
  53. Hegel MT, Oxman TE, Hull JG, Swain K, Swick H. Watchful waiting for minor depression in primary care: remission rates and predictors of improvement. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2006;28:205–212
  54. Scogin FR, Hanson A, Welsh D. Self-administered treatment in stepped-care models of depression treatment. J Clin Psychol. 2003;59:341–349
  55. Wong G. Internet access is a socioeconomic issue. BMJ. 2004;328:1200–1201
  56. Butcher JN, Perry J, Hahn J. Computers in clinical assessment: historical developments, present status, and future challenges. J Clin Psychol. 2004;60:331–345
  57. Butcher JN, Perry JN, Atlis MM. Validity and utility of computer-based test interpretation. Psychol Assess. 2000;12:6–18

PII: S0010-440X(09)00092-3

doi: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2009.08.006

Comprehensive Psychiatry
Volume 51, Issue 3 , Pages 266-274 , May 2010

Article Tools