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Are we entering an age of melancholy? Depressive illnesses in a prospective epidemiological study over 25 years: the Lundby Study, Sweden

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

Olle Hagnell*
Affiliation:
Department of Social and Forensic Psychiatry, Department of Statistic, University of Lund, Lund, Sweden
Jan Lanke
Affiliation:
Department of Social and Forensic Psychiatry, Department of Statistic, University of Lund, Lund, Sweden
Birgitta Rorsman
Affiliation:
Department of Social and Forensic Psychiatry, Department of Statistic, University of Lund, Lund, Sweden
Leif Öjesjö
Affiliation:
Department of Social and Forensic Psychiatry, Department of Statistic, University of Lund, Lund, Sweden
*
1Address for correspondence Professor Olle Hagnell, Department of Social and Forensic Psychiatry, St Lars Sjukhus, Box 638, S-22006 Lund, Sweden.

Synopsis

The Lundby cohort consists of all inhabitants in a delimited area in Sweden studied in 1947 by Essen-Möller, then by Hagnell in 1957, and by Hagnell & Öjesjöin 1975. It has been claimed that depressive disorders have increased during the sixties and seventies. In order to examine this hypothesis on a normal population (the Lundby Study), comparisons were made of the incidence figures for depression during the periods 1947–57 and 1957–72, and during the five 5-year intervals within the period.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1982

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