The aim of this study is to compare chronic depressive and major depressive patients on demographic and clinical features and to investigate the features of chronic depression that influence the course. 63 chronic depressive and 60 major depressive patients were assessed by a semistructered interview, DSM-IV criteria, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD). Those who had depressive symptoms for at least two years without a remission period more than two months are considered to have chronic depression. Improvementlremission in major depression was assessed by clinical diagnostic features and HRSD. Those who did not fulfill DSM-IV criteria for a depressive disorder and who got less than 13 points in HRSD were considered as "major depression in remission". 63 chronic depressive and 48 major depressives in remission were compared by the instruments mentioned above. Male/female ratio in chronic depressives was closer to one, whereas the number of women was higher among the major depressives. The symptom severity of chronic depressives was lower. In most of the chronic depressives, there was no major depressive attack in the beginning of the continuous depressive state. The frequency of accompanying physical illness was higher in the chronic depressive group.