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.

!--?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?-- 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 represen…

!--?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?-- 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…

!--?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?-- 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 physic…

!--?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?-- 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 …

!--?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?-- 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 Inter…

!--?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?-- 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 addition…

!--?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?-- 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, u…

!--?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?-- 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 anhed…

!--?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?-- 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 sustaini…

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…

!--?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?-- 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, 201…}

!--?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?-- 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…

!--?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?-- 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, 3…