Guilt in Depressed Outpatients

This study was designed to determine whether normal control subjects (n = 17) and depressed outpatients (n = 72) differed with respect to the extent and conditions under which they reported dysfunctional guilt. Depressed outpatients reported significantly more guilt than normal control subjects in most types of situations. A family history of depression was related to a higher overall level of guilt in patients. Course and severity of depression and endogenous subtype did not relate to the amount of guilt reported by the patients. This study provides clinical norms on the Situational Guilt Scale (SGS) for a sample of unipolar, nonpsychotic outpatients with major depressive disorder.