The prevalence and clinical characteristics associated with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Version-5-defined anxious distress specifier in adults with major depressive disorder: results from the International Mood Disorders Collaborative Project
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OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of and illness characteristics in adults with major depressive disorder (MDD) with anxious distress specifier (ADS) enrolled in the International Mood Disorders Collaborative Project, which is a collaborative research platform at the Mood Disorders Psychopharmacology Unit, University of Toronto, Canada and the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA. METHODS: Data from participants who met criteria for a current major depressive episode as part of MDD (n = 830) were included in this post hoc analysis. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Version-5-defined ADS was operationalized as the presence of at least two out of three proxy items instead of two out of five specifiers. RESULTS: A total of 464 individuals (i.e. 56%) met criteria for ADS. There were no between-group differences in sociodemographic variables (e.g. gender, employment, marital status). Greater severity of illness was observed in adults with ADS as evidenced by a higher number of hospitalizations, higher rates of suicidal ideation, greater depressive symptom severity, greater workplace impairment, decreased quality of life, and greater self-reported cognitive impairment. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings underscore the importance of evaluating ADS in adults with MDD as its presence identifies a subpopulation with greater illness-associated burden and hazards.
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Anxious depression defined with the anxious distress specifier was associated with greater depression severity, higher suicidal ideation, decreased quality of life, greater self-reported impairment, severe insomnia, and increased incidence of cardiovascular disease.
“Also anxious depression defined with the anxious distress specifier was associated with greater depression severity, higher suicidal ideation, decreased QOL, greater self-reported impairment, severe insomnia [10,40], and increased incidence of cardiovascular disease [43].”
From Patients with anxious depression: overview of prevalence, pathophysiology and impact on course and treatment outcome (2018) · cites this paper as [10]
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- Authors
- McIntyre, R. S., Woldeyohannes, H. O., Soczynska, J. K., Vinberg, M., Cha, D. S., Lee, Y., Gallaugher, L. A., Dale, R. S., Alsuwaidan, M. T., Mansur, R. B., Muzina, D. J., Carvalho, A., & Kennedy, S.
- Affiliations
- University Health Network (CA)
- University of Copenhagen (DK)
- Cleveland Clinic (US)
- Medco Health Solutions, Inc., Fort Worth, TX, USA
- Universidade Federal do Ceará (BR)
- University of Toronto (CA)
- Corresponding author
- McIntyre, Roger S.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Therapeutic Advances in Chronic Disease
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2016-02-01
- Volume
- 7
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 153-159
- ISSN
- 2040-6223 (ISSN-L)
- 2040-6231
- PMC
- PMC4907069
- OpenAlex
- W2404889380
- Cited by
- 63
- References
- 7
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 4
- FWCI
- 3.78
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Therapeutic Advances in Chronic Disease (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research at the University of Copenhagen (University of Copenhagen) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Treatment of Major Depression
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Keywords
- major depressive disorder, anxiety comorbidity, prevalence, disease severity, suicidal ideation, hospitalization, depression severity, quality of life, cognitive impairment, DSM-5
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