Effects of gender and psychiatric comorbidity on the age of illness onset and the outcome of psychotic depression-A birth cohort study

The influence of gender-specific factors influencing severe anxiety in psychotic major depression: role of thyroid hormones and depression severity

BACKGROUND

Psychotic major depression (PMD) is characterized by major depressive disorder (MDD) accompanied by delusions or hallucinations. While the prevalence of PMD and its association with anxiety have been studied, gender-specific differences and the role of thyroid hormones in PMD-related anxiety remain less explored.

METHODS

A total of 1718 first-episode and drug-naïve MDD patients was assessed for the presence of PMD and severe anxiety. Clinical assessments, including Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA), Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and Clinical Global Impressions-Severity (CGI-S) scale, were conducted to assess depression, anxiety, psychotic symptoms, and clinical severity, respectively. Blood samples were collected to measure thyroid function parameters.

RESULTS

The prevalence of severe anxiety was higher in PMD patients compared to non-psychotic MDD patients (71.3% vs. 5.3%). No significant gender differences were observed in the prevalence of severe anxiety among PMD patients. However, elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels and increased depression severity (HAMD scores) were identified as independent risk factors for severe anxiety in female PMD patients. In contrast, no significant risk factors were found in male PMD patients. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUCROC) analysis revealed that the HAMD score and TSH level showed acceptable discriminatory capacity for distinguishing between female PMD patients with and without severe anxiety.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights the heightened prevalence of severe anxiety in PMD patients, with TSH levels and depression severity emerging as gender-specific risk factors for anxiety in females. These findings suggest the importance of thyroid hormone assessment and tailored interventions for managing anxiety in female PMD patients.

Psychotic depression and deaths due to suicide

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to establish the risk of suicide associated with incident psychotic depression (PD) compared to incident non-psychotic severe depression (NPD).

METHODS

This cohort study used routine data from nationwide health registers in Finland. Eligible participants were aged 18-59 years at the index diagnosis. Causes of death were defined by the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision codes. The follow-up time was up to five years. Adjusted Cox regression models were used to analyse risk of death by method of suicide.

RESULTS

We included 17,331 individuals with incident PD and 85,989 individuals with incident NPD. Most of the deaths due to suicides occurred within the first two years after the index diagnosis. Compared to NPD, PD was associated with an overall two-fold increased risk of suicide (adjusted hazard ratio, (aHR) 2.19, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.95, 2.46), after adjusting for psychiatric comorbidities. In PD, the highest relative risks were for impact-related suicides (aHR 3.03, 95%CI 2.23, 4.13) and for suffocation-related suicides (aHR 2.72, 95%CI 2.23, 3.30), whereas the lowest relative risk was for intentional poisonings (aHR 1.66, 95%CI 1.37, 2.02).

LIMITATIONS

Information on all potential confounders is not available in studies using routine data.

CONCLUSIONS

Psychotic symptoms doubled the risk of suicides over and above of the risk that was associated with severe depression, after controlling for comorbid psychiatric disorders. The severity of suicidal ideation may be higher in PD than in NPD, which then leads to more lethal methods of self-harm.

Mortality in psychotic depression: 18-year follow-up study

BACKGROUND

Evidence on the role of co-occurring psychiatric disorders in mortality associated with psychotic depression is limited.

AIMS

To estimate the risk of cause-specific mortality in psychotic depression compared with severe non-psychotic depression while controlling for comorbid psychiatric disorders.

METHOD

This cohort study used routine data from nationwide health registers in Finland. Eligible participants had their first diagnosis for psychotic depression or for severe non-psychotic depression between the years 2000 and 2018, had no pre-existing diagnoses for schizophrenia spectrum disorders or bipolar disorder, and were aged 18-65 years at the index diagnosis. Causes of death were defined by ICD-10 codes. The follow-up time was up to 18 years.

RESULTS

We included 19 064 individuals with incident psychotic depression and 90 877 individuals with incident non-psychotic depression. Half (1199/2188) of the deaths in those with psychotic depression occurred within 5 years from the index diagnosis and the highest relative risk was during the first year after the diagnosis. Compared with individuals with non-psychotic depression, those with psychotic depression had a higher risk of all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, aHR = 1.59, 95% CI 1.48-1.70), suicides (aHR = 2.36, 95% CI 2.11-2.64) and fatal accidents (aHR 1.63, 95% CI 1.26-2.10) during the subsequent 5-year period after the index diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Psychotic symptoms markedly added to the mortality risk associated with severe depression after controlling for psychiatric comorbidity. Prompt treatment and enhanced monitoring for psychotic symptoms is warranted in all patients with severe depression to prevent deaths because of suicides and other external causes.