The study by Thaipisuttikul and colleagues was a cross-sectional study, conducted between October 2012 and January 2014.3 In total, 190 patients with MDD, as confirmed by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), were included.3 The study showed that a variety of psychiatric comorbidities were common in patients with MDD, including anxiety and other mood disorders.3
To investigate whether MDD represents a transient increase in risk of psychiatric comorbidity, or a more long-term increase, patients with current MDD (current at the time of the study) were compared with those who had a past diagnosis of MDD.3 Compared with patients with past MDD, patients with current MDD had significantly higher levels of comorbid obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), psychotic disorder, and history of panic disorder.3 The various psychiatric conditions investigated in the analysis present differently, and the authors note the typically more chronic nature of OCD; physicians should therefore always look for OCD in patients with MDD, and not hesitate to treat if found.3
Reference:
1.American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Fifth Edition – text revision. © American Psychiatric Association, 2022.
2.Kim J, Schwartz TL. Psychiatric comorbidity in major depressive disorder. In: McIntyre RS (ed) Major Depressive Disorder. 2020
3.Thaipisuttikul P, Ittasakul P, Waleeprakhon P, et al. Psychiatric comorbidities in patients with major depressive disorder. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2014; 10: 2097–2103.
4.Rush AJ, Zimmerman M, Wisniewski SR, et al. Comorbid psychiatric disorders in depressed outpatients: demographic and clinical features. J Affect Disord 2005; 87 (1): 43–55.
5.Kessler RC, McGonagle KA, Zhao S, et al. Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of DSM-III-R psychiatric disorders in the United States. Results from the National Comorbidity Survey. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1994; 51 (1): 8–19.
6.Kessler RC. The prevalence of psychiatric comorbidity. In: Wetzler S, Sanderson WC (eds). An Einstein Psychiatry Publication, No. 14. Treatment Strategies for Patients with Psychiatric Comorbidity. John Wiley & Sons Inc. 1997.
