Clinical correlates and symptom patterns of anxious depression among patients with major depressive disorder in STAR*D

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 1299-1308 ◽  
Author(s):  
MAURIZIO FAVA ◽  
JONATHAN E. ALPERT ◽  
CHERYL N. CARMIN ◽  
STEPHEN R. WISNIEWSKI ◽  
MADHUKAR H. TRIVEDI ◽  
...  

Background. Anxious depression, defined as Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) with high levels of anxiety symptoms, may represent a relatively common depressive subtype, with distinctive features.Objective. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of anxious depression and to define its clinical correlates and symptom patterns.Method. Baseline clinical and sociodemographic data were collected on 1450 subjects participating in the STAR*D study. A baseline Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) Anxiety/Somatization factor score of [ges ]7 was considered indicative of anxious depression. The types and degree of concurrent psychiatric symptoms were measured using the Psychiatric Diagnostic Screening Questionnaire (PDSQ), by recording the number of items endorsed by study participants for each diagnostic category. MDD symptoms were assessed by clinical telephone interview with the 30-item Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (IDS-C30).Results. The prevalence of anxious depression in this population was 46%. Patients with anxious MDD were significantly more likely to be older, unemployed, less educated, more severely depressed, and to have suicidal ideation before and after adjustment for severity of depression. As far as concurrent psychiatric symptoms are concerned, patients with anxious depression were significantly more likely to endorse symptoms related to generalized anxiety, obsessive compulsive, panic, post-traumatic stress, agoraphobia, hypochondriasis, and somatoform disorders before and after adjustment for severity of depression. Anxious-depression individuals were also significantly less likely to endorse IDS-C30 items concerning atypical features, and were significantly more likely to endorse items concerning melancholic/endogenous depression features.Conclusion. This study supports specific clinical and sociodemographic correlates of MDD associated with high levels of anxiety (anxious depression).

Cells ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-Yung Hung ◽  
Ming-Kung Wu ◽  
Meng-Chang Tsai ◽  
Ya-Ling Huang ◽  
Hong-Yo Kang

Chronic inflammation and abnormalities in Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling pathways are associated with major depressive disorder (MDD). Our previous work reported that impaired negative regulators for the TLR pathways are associated with MDD. This study aimed to assess the association between the severity of depression and the intracellular microRNAs that regulate TLR4 signaling in both peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and monocytes from MDD patients. The severity of MDD before and after antidepressant treatment was determined by the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, and quantitative RT-PCR was used to measure the levels of intracellular regulatory microRNAs, including let-7e, miR-21-5p miR-145, miR-223, miR-146a, and miR-155, in PBMCs and monocytes isolated from 43 healthy controls and 84 patients with MDD before and after treatment with antidepressants. Assays of PBMCs showed that the levels of let-7e, miR-146a, and miR-155 were lower in MDD patients than in healthy controls and were significantly higher after than before treatment in the 69 patients who completed treatment with antidepressants for four weeks. Levels of miR-146a and miR-155 in monocytes were lower in MDD patients than in controls and were increased in the former after antidepressant treatment. Multiple linear regression analyses found that let-7e and miR-146a expression before treatment was inversely correlated with severity of depression, whereas miR-155 before treatment was directly correlated with severity of depression. These findings suggest that intracellular regulatory microRNAs which regulate TLR4 signaling are aberrantly expressed in patients with MDD and that these levels are ameliorated by antidepressant treatment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (01) ◽  
pp. 122-128
Author(s):  
Ralte Lalthankimi ◽  
Padmavathi Nagarajan ◽  
Vikas Menon ◽  
Jeby Jose Olickal

Abstract Objectives Mental disorders have a large impact on death by suicide. Hence, this study aims to determine the prevalence of suicidal behaviors among major depressive disorder (MDD) patients and the associated factors. Materials and Methods This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among individuals aged 18 to 65 years, diagnosed with MDD in the Psychiatry Outpatient Department of a Tertiary Care Center, Puducherry during March to October 2019. Severity of depression was assessed using Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale was used to find the suicidal behaviors. Results For 166 participants in the study, mean (standard deviation) age was 40 (11) years and majority were females (76%). More than one-third (37%) had severe or very severe depression, and the prevalence of suicidal ideation, plan, and attempts were 83, 24, and 35%, respectively. After adjusting the covariates, the severity of depression and unemployment were significantly associated with suicidal attempts (adjusted prevalence ratios [aPR] = 11.4 and 1.9), and very severe depression was associated with suicidal ideation (aPR = 1.6). Among 140 individuals with suicidal ideation, 45 (32%) had an ideation frequency of 2 to 3 times/week, 69 (50%) had ideation for 1 hour, 36 (26%) could control ideation with little difficulty, and 12% had suicidal ideation mostly to end or stop their pain. Conclusion Suicidal ideation and attempts were significantly high in MDD patients, and the severity of depression was significantly associated with it. Early identification of high-risk suicidal behavior and implementation of effective preventive interventions are necessary to reduce death by suicide in these groups.


1994 ◽  
Vol 164 (1) ◽  
pp. 106-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin R. Rodger ◽  
Allan I. F. Scott ◽  
Lawrence J. Whalley

The severity of depression in 11 drug-free unipolar patients diagnosed with definite major depressive disorder was assessed using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression during a course (5–10 treatments) of bilateral electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The degree of improvement after three treatments of ECT was six times greater than the improvement that occurred over the remainder of the course. Although depressed patients who recover with ECT require repeated treatments, the treatments early in a course of ECT can have marked antidepressant effect.


Author(s):  
Arjun Adiyodi ◽  
C. V. Singh ◽  
A. K. Mishra ◽  
Alok Dixit ◽  
Virendra Singh

Background: With the availability of large number of anti-depressant drugs, a thorough knowledge of comparative efficacy of the commonly used antidepressants is necessary to prescribe best drug molecule to the patient. This improves the compliance and therapeutic outcome. The aim of the study is to compare the efficacy of vilazodone and escitalopram in the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed major depressive disorder in a prospective study.Methods: 200 patients attending the psychiatry out-patient department diagnosed with major depressive disorder were assessed and enrolled into vilazodone 40 mg and escitalopram 20 mg treatment groups. Hamilton depression rating scale score (HDRS) was used to assess the severity of depression disorder at regular intervals.Results: Maximum cases were in the 21-30 age group and minimum cases in above 60 years age group. Males contributed maximum to number of depression cases with respect to females in both the treatment groups. Both escitalopram and vilazodone therapy group showed onset of improvement   at the end of 1st week. The efficacy of both treatment arms in reducing HDRS is comparable till 2nd week of treatment, but at 6th month vilazodone was more efficacious than escitalopram therapy. Conclusions: Escitalopram tablet given once/twice daily is significantly effective in reducing HDRS score as early as 2nd week. At 6th month vilazodone tablet was more efficacious than escitalopram therapy. Vilazodone is safe with fewer adverse effects as compared to escitalopram. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 204512532091665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sadia Anjum ◽  
M. M. A. Shalahuddin Qusar ◽  
Mohammad Shahriar ◽  
Sardar Mohammad Ashraful Islam ◽  
Mohiuddin Ahmed Bhuiyan ◽  
...  

Background: Abnormal expression of inflammatory cytokines in major depressive disorder (MDD) suggests the activation of an inflammatory process. The pattern of alterations in cytokine levels is still ambiguous. The present study aimed to evaluate interleukin-7 (IL-7) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) for their involvement in the pathophysiology of MDD and determine their relationships with depression risk. Methods: The study included 166 medication-free subjects: 84 MDD patients and 82 sex- and age-matched healthy controls (HCs). A qualified psychiatrist diagnosed patients and evaluated controls based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5). Hamilton depression rating scale (Ham-D) was used to measure the severity of depression in MDD patients. Serum IL-7 and IL-10 levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. Results: Compared with HCs, the serum levels of IL-7 were significantly decreased, whereas that of IL-10 increased in MDD patients. Moreover, the severity of depression is correlated with the altered levels of IL-7 and IL-10 in MDD patients. We found a negative correlation between IL-7 and Hamilton depression rating (Ham-D) scores ( r = –0.580, p < 0.05), whereas there was a positive correlation between IL-10 and Ham-D scores ( r = 0.555, p < 0.05). Conclusions: The altered levels of serum IL-7 and IL-10 in MDD patients may represent a homeostatic mechanism that enhances the inflammatory process during depression. The alterations of these cytokine levels in MDD and their association with the severity of depression support them as promising, but there may still be controversial factors for understanding the pathophysiology of depression.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simeng Ma ◽  
Jun Yang ◽  
Bingxiang Yang ◽  
Lijun Kang ◽  
Peilin Wang ◽  
...  

Background: The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD-17) has been used for several decades to assess the severity of depression. Multiple studies have documented defects in this scale and deemed it unsuitable for clinical evaluation. The HAMD-6, which is the abbreviated version of HAMD-17, has been shown to be effective in assessing the core symptoms of depression with greater sensitivity than HAMD-17. And the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is suggested as an effective alternative to the HAMD-17 because of its simplicity and ease-of-use.Methods: Research was completed involving 1,741 participants having major depressive disorder. Cronbach's alpha, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and weighted Kappa analysis was used to determine the reliability of the scales. Pearson correlation analysis and factor analysis were used to analyze validity. Item response theory (IRT) was used to analyze psychological characteristics of items in both the HAMD-17 and PHQ-9.Results: Reliability analysis showed that the Cronbach's alpha of the HAMD-17, HAMD-6 and PHQ-9 were 0.829, 0.764, and 0.893 respectively, and the ICC of the three scales ranged from 0.606 to 0.744. The Kappa score of the consistency of depression severity assessment was 0.248. Validity analysis showed that the PHQ-9 was a single factor structure, and the total score of the scale was strongly correlated with the HAMD-17 (r = 0.724, P &lt; 0.001). The IRT analysis showed that the discrimination parameters of the PHQ-9 were higher than that of the HAMD-17 in all dimensions. The HAMD-6 had the lowest measurement accuracy in distinguishing the severity of depression, while the PHQ-9 had the highest measurement accuracy.Conclusion: Results showed that the PHQ-9 was satisfactory in terms of reliability, validity and distinguishing the severity of depression. It is a simple, rapid, effective and reliable tool which can be used as an alternative to the HAMD-17 to assess the severity of depression.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Carol S. North ◽  
David Baron

Agreement has not been achieved across symptom factor studies of major depressive disorder, and no studies have identified characteristic postdisaster depressive symptom structures. This study examined the symptom structure of major depression across two databases of 1181 survivors of 11 disasters studied using consistent research methods and full diagnostic assessment, addressing limitations of prior self-report symptom-scale studies. The sample included 808 directly-exposed survivors of 10 disasters assessed 1–6 months post disaster and 373 employees of 8 organizations affected by the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks assessed nearly 3 years after the attacks. Consistent symptom patterns identifying postdisaster major depression were not found across the 2 databases, and database factor analyses suggested a cohesive grouping of depression symptoms. In conclusion, this study did not find symptom clusters identifying postdisaster major depression to guide the construction and validation of screeners for this disorder. A full diagnostic assessment for identification of postdisaster major depressive disorder remains necessary.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey D. Voigt ◽  
Andrew F. Leuchter ◽  
Linda L. Carpenter

AbstractPatients with major depressive disorder (MDD) may be refractory to or have contraindications that preclude treatment with antidepressant pharmacotherapies. Alternative therapies such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) continue to evolve, and include theta burst stimulation (TBS), which has advantages over conventional rTMS. The aim of this study was to identify and meta-analyze efficacy data from all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating TBS as a treatment for MDD. Published reports of RCTs (January 1, 2010 to October 23, 2020) were identified via systematic searches in computerized databases, followed by review of individual reports for inclusion. Inclusion criteria included primary diagnosis of MDD ≥ 1 week duration of therapy with ≥10 sessions, and treatment with any form of TBS. The Cochrane GRADE methodology and PRISMA criteria were used for evaluation of individual trials. Data from ten RCTs were included, representing 667 patients. Of these, 8 RCTs compared TBS to sham treatment and one compared TBS to standard rTMS (i.e., high frequency stimulation over left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex [HFL]). Quality of evidence assessment yielded high confidence in the finding of TBS being superior to sham on response measured by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HRSD) (RR = 2.4; 95% CI: 1.27 to 4.55; P = 0.007; I2 = 40%). Comparison of HRSD response rates for TBS versus rTMS produced no statistically significant difference (RR = 1.02; 95% CI: 0.85 to 1.23; P = 0.80; I2 = 0%). The incidence of adverse events between TBS and rTMS was not statistically different. The findings of a positive effect of TBS vs. sham, and noninferiority of TBS vs. standard HFL rTMS support the continued development of TBS to treat depression.


2021 ◽  
pp. 026988112199832
Author(s):  
Rachael L Sumner ◽  
Emme Chacko ◽  
Rebecca McMillan ◽  
Meg J Spriggs ◽  
Christie Anderson ◽  
...  

Background: Ketamine is central to one of the most rapidly growing areas of neuroscientific research into novel treatments for depression. Limited research has indicated that the psychedelic properties of ketamine may play a role in its antidepressant effects. Aim: The aim of the current study was to explore the psychedelic experiences and sustained impact of ketamine in major depressive disorder. Methods: In the current study, ketamine (0.44 mg/kg) was administered to 32 volunteers with major depressive disorder in a crossover design with the active-placebo remifentanil, in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) environment. The 11-dimension altered states of consciousness questionnaire and individual qualitative interviews were used to capture the acute psychedelic experience. The Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale and further interviewing explored lasting effects. The second qualitative interview took place ⩾3 weeks post-ketamine. Results: Greater antidepressant response (reduction in Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale at 24 h) correlated with the 11-dimension altered states of consciousness dimensions: spirituality, experience of unity, and insight. The first qualitative interview revealed that all participants experienced perceptual changes. Additional themes emerged including loss of control and emotional and mood changes. The final interview showed evidence of a psychedelic afterglow, and changes to perspective on life, people, and problems, as well as changes to how participants felt about their depression and treatments. Conclusions: The current study provides preliminary evidence for a role of the psychedelic experience and afterglow in ketamine’s antidepressant properties. Reflexive thematic analysis provided a wealth of information on participants’ experience of the study and demonstrated the psychedelic properties of ketamine are not fully captured by commonly used questionnaires.


1994 ◽  
Vol 165 (4) ◽  
pp. 506-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher F. Fear ◽  
Carl S. Littlejohns ◽  
Eryl Rouse ◽  
Paul McQuail

BackgroundThe induction agent propofol is known to reduce electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) seizure duration. It is assumed that outcome from depression is adversely affected by this agent. This study compares propofol and methohexitone as induction agents for ECT.MethodIn a prospective, randomised, double-blind study 20 subjects with major depressive disorder (DSM-III-R criteria) received propofol or methohexitone anaesthesia. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and Beck Depression Inventory were used to assess depression before therapy, at every third treatment, and at the end of therapy. Seizure duration was measured using the cuff technique.ResultsMean seizure durations (P < 0.01) and mean total seizure duration (P < 0.01) were shorter in the propofol group. There was no difference in outcome.ConclusionsUse of propofol may not adversely affect outcome from depression and it is not necessarily contraindicated as an induction agent for ECT. Our results should be interpreted cautiously, and larger studies are needed.


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