The Nosology of Depression: The Endogenous-Reactive Concept

Controversies surrounding the distinctions between endogenous and reactive types have characterized the literature on depression. Reviewing seven pertinent factor analytic studies, these authors found sufficient consensus to support the independence of the endogenous and reactive factors. It is suggested, however, that these factors may not represent two etiologically distinct types of depression. The endogenous factor may reflect a "classical" depressive syndrome, whereas the reactive factor may reflect a psychiatric disorder in which depression is only one symptom "contaminated" by other nondepressive clinical features.