OBJECTIVETo study the rules of occurrence and development of TCM syndromes in patients of depression by analysing the population distribution and related factors of it.

METHODSA clinical epidemiologic survey was carried out with the materials collected by the four-diagnostic method from patients of depression to gain the syndrome types of 397 patients through dynamic cluster analysis, factor analysis and TCM syndrome differentiation. The constitution of syndrome types in different population and the relation between TCM syndrome types and the clinical types differentiated by Western medicine of depression was analyzed.

RESULTSSix syndrome types were found in 397 patients with depression. They were, ranging in occurrence order, the Gan-Qi stagnation with mental uneasiness type (108 cases, 27.2%); the Xin-Pi deficiency with dampness retention type (94 cases, 23.7%); the Xin-Gan Qi-stagnation with Phlegm retention type (76 cases, 19.1%); the Xin-Gan Qi stagnation with Jing-Luo disharmony type (57 cases, 14.3%); the Xin-Shen Qi stagnation with collateral obstruction type (34 cases, 8.6%); and the Xin-Gan Qi stagnation with Heat interfering mental type (28 cases, 7.1%). There were statistical significance (P < 0.01) in comparison of the syndrome types constitution among patients of different ages or different Western medicinal types (mild, with or without psychotic symptoms), but no significant difference was shown in that among patients of different sexes, with or without familial history of mental diseases, with monophasic or biphasic, initial or recurrent episode (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe result obtained in this study is basically in accord with the cognitive rule of TCM theory, it provides a reliable base of syndrome differentiation for treatment.