A STUDY OF P300 IN MELANCHOLIC DEPRESSION - CORRELATION WITH PSYCHOTIC FEATURES

The relationship between delusions and hallucinations (psychotic features) in melancholic depression and auditory P300 was studied. Forty patients with melancholic depression as per DSM-III-R were studied, 20 of whom had hallucinations and/or delusions. The 20 patients of the two groups were individually marched on age, gender, sociodemographic variables, and psychopathology (except for psychotic features). Auditory P300 obtained by the ''oddball paradigm'' showed that those with hallucinations and/or delusions had a significantly smaller P3 amplitude. Significant correlations between ''psychotic features'' and P3 amplitude was found. Implications of these findings on research, classification, and management of depression have been outlined.