Major Depressive Disorder – Comorbidity

A retrospective analysis of patient data was performed to compare the prevalence of chronic conditions in patients with MDD. Of the total population studied, roughly one in ten had depression.

In this study, data from the 2007 and 2009 releases of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) were used.^{[Bhattacharya et al., 2014]} The MEPS is a nationally representative annual survey of households representing the US non-institutionalised civilian population.^[Bhat…

The analysis discussed here concludes that there exists a bidirectional relationship between depression and chronic illnesses.^{[Voinov et al., 2013]}

Reference:
Voinov B, Richie WD, Bailey RK. Depression and chronic diseases: it is time for a synergistic mental health and p…

The WHO (World Health Organization) World Health Survey studied >240, 000 adults, aged ≥18 years, across 60 countries.^{[Moussavi et al., 2007]} An average of 9.3–23.0% of participants with one or more chronic physical disease also had comorbid depression.^{[Moussavi et al., 2…}

The various comorbidities of MDD (psychiatric and physical) adversely affect the quality of life of the patient.^{[IsHak et al., 2014; IsHak et al., 2018; Zhou et al., 2017]} This emphasises the point that attending physicians need to be alive to the potential of the various…

The study by Thaipisuttikul and colleagues was a cross-sectional study, conducted between October 2012 and January 2014.^{[Thaipisuttikul et al., 2014]} In total, 190 patients with MDD, as confirmed by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), were included.^[…

The Patient Health Questionnaire is a self-administered tool of 2 (PHQ-2) or 9 (PHQ-9) items.^{[Kroenke et al., 2001; Spitzer et al., 1999]} The PHQ-9 establishes the clinical diagnosis of depression and can additionally be used to track the severity of symptoms over time.^[K…

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is associated with reduced quality of life, and functional impairments.^{[APA, 2013, pg. 240]} It is defined as:^{[APA, 2013, pg. 237]} obsession; recurrent and persistent thoughts, urges, or images, that are experienced as unwanted or intrus…

The essential feature of PTSD is the development of a certain set of symptoms after exposure to a traumatic event; the symptoms include fear-based re-experiencing of the traumatic event, but can also include anhedonia, and dysphoric mood states.^{[APA, 2013, pg. 274]} Theref…

The essential feature of ADHD is a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity that interferes with functioning or development.^{[APA, 2013, pg. 61]} For example, wandering off task, or difficulty sustaining focus, and excessive motor activity, or fidgeting, or ta…

The essential feature of schizophrenia is the presence of hallucinations, delusions, disorganised speech or behaviour, or of negative symptoms.^{[APA, 2013, pg. 100]} As noted on the slide, some of the diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia overlap with those for MDD, particu…

Substance-use disorders are a group of cognitive, behavioural, and physiological symptoms indicating that the individual continues to use a substance despite problems related to the use of that substance.^{[APA, 2013, pg. 483]} Substances can include alcohol, cannabis, hallu…

See Slide deck #3 of this series – ‘Neurobiology and aetiology’ to read more about the potential shared pathways underlying MDD and other neurological disorders. Disentangling the various comorbidities of MDD is a herculean challenge, because many conditions are interrela…

Whether or not, and to what extent, depression is a risk factor for, or a constituent part of the prodrome of, dementia, is still a contentious issue.^{[Cha et al., 2014; Mirza et al., 2014]} One study followed >4, 300 non-demented individuals for 13.7 years, and tracked the…