It is a relatively common psychiatric condition that affects up to 20% of patients with major depression.
Psychotic depression appears distinct from nonpsychotic depression on the basis of noted differences in family psychiatric histories, with an increased risk of schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder and unipolar depression.
Often the presence of psychotic symptoms can be difficult to establish. This may be because psychotic depressed patients seem to have more insight into their symptoms than do manic or schizophrenic patients and thus are more likely to hide these symptoms.
Some delusions in psychotically depressed individuals have a paranoid quality, with ideas of reference, suspiciousness and persecutory themes. Others have a guilt-ridden quality of being sinful or a nihilistic component.
Other symptoms in psychotically depressed individuals are severe psychomotor agitation or depression, prolongation of the depression, ruminating qualities, and a failure to respond to treatment all of which carry the risk of an unpredictable and explosive outcome.
What is psychotic depression?
