Temporal evolution of stress in the year prior to the onset of depressive disorders.

Background: We investigate how the stress levels in a sample of patients with depressive disorders vary in the year prior to the onset of symptoms.
Design: Observational study of the case/control type. Fifty patients whose first depressive episode began in the 6 months prior to the interview
Method: The LEDS was applied to all the subjects. A calculation was made of the evolution week by week of stress throughout the year prior to the onset.
Results: Notable differences were detected in the temporal profile of the stress between the depressive patients and control groups. The differences between them were especially far-reaching in the 26 weeks prior to the onset of the symptoms, with a tendency to increase in the 7 weeks immediately before the onset.