A sample of 83 first-admitted patients with delusional depression were diagnosed according to DSM-III, ICD-9 and reactive and endogenous types. They were followed up twice after a mean of 10 and 18.5 years. As to background, course and outcome variables DSM-III schizoaffective patients were closely related to affective patients. A small difference between reactive and endogenous type was accounted for by the endogenous subgroup of DSM-III schizoaffective patients. The study provides evidence for dismissing the reactive-endogenous distinction in terms of psychotic depressive disorder, but in terms of schizodepressive disorder the issue is less clarified based on course and outcome.