Increased mortality among people with anxiety disorders: total population study.
Open accessAbstract
Background: Anxiety disorders and depression are the most common mental disorders worldwide and have a striking impact on global disease burden. Although depression has consistently been found to increase mortality; the role of anxiety disorders in predicting mortality risk is unclear. Aims: To assess mortality risk in people with anxiety disorders. Method: We used nationwide Danish register data to conduct a prospective cohort study with over 30 million person-years of follow-up. Results: In total, 1066 (2.1%) people with anxiety disorders died during an average follow-up of 9.7 years. The risk of death by natural and unnatural causes was significantly higher among individuals with anxiety disorders (natural mortality rate ratio (MRR) = 1.39, 95% CI 1.28–1.51; unnatural MRR= 2.46, 95% CI 2.20–2.73) compared with the general population. Of those who died from unnatural causes, 16.5% had comorbid diagnoses of depression (MRR = 11.72, 95% CI 10.11–13.51). Conclusions: Anxiety disorders significantly increased mortality risk. Comorbidity of anxiety disorders and depression played an important part in the increased mortality.
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One study of over three million people revealed that not one anxiety disorder examined appeared able to reduce the risk of death from either natural or unnatural causes, compared to people without anxiety disorders.
“one study of over three million people revealed that not one anxiety disorder examined appeared able to reduce the risk of death from either natural (e.g., illness) or unnatural causes (e.g., accidents), compared to people without anxiety disorders [36].”
From Stoicism and death acceptance: integrating Stoic philosophy in cognitive behaviour therapy for death anxiety (2022) · cites this paper as [36]
The monthly all-cause mortality of individuals with anxiety symptoms was estimated from the age-specific all-cause mortality rate in Hong Kong 2020 and the mortality rate ratio (1.66) associated with anxiety disorders.
“The monthly all-cause mortality of individuals with anxiety symptoms was estimated from the age-specific all-cause mortality rate (0.0025%) in Hong Kong 2020 [25, 26] and the mortality rate ratio (1.66) associated with anxiety disorders [24].”
From Cost-effectiveness of internet-supported cognitive behavioral therapy for university students with anxiety symptoms: A Markov-model analysis (2022) · cites this paper as [24]
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“(Continued) Parameters Base-case value Range of sensitivity analysis Distribution Reference Duration of each session (minutes) 30 - High-intensity CBT [10] Number of sessions 14 12–15 Triangular Duration of each session (minutes) 60 - Platform overhead for i-CBT (US $) 19 15–23 Triangular [29] Percentage of time spent…”
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“, accidents), compared to people without anxiety disorders [36].”
Background
- Authors
- Meier, S. M., Mattheisen, M., Mors, O., Mortensen, P. B., Laursen, T. M., & Penninx, B. W.
- Affiliations
- Aarhus University (DK)
- Corresponding author
- Meier, Sandra M.
- ORCID
- Venue
- British Journal of Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Royal College of Psychiatrists
- Published
- 2016-09
- Volume
- 209
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 216-221
- ISSN
- 0007-1250 (ISSN-L)
- 1472-1465
- PMC
- PMC5082973
- OpenAlex
- W2465081126
- Cited by
- 181
- References
- 51
- Citations by year
- 2026: 23 · 2025: 25 · 2024: 27 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 29 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 4
- FWCI
- 11.01
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- The British Journal of Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Pure Amsterdam UMC (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- Amsterdam UMC (VU Amsterdam) - Institutional Repository (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Stanley Medical Research Institute
- Aarhus Universitet
- Aarhus Universitetshospital
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
- Lundbeckfonden (R155-2014-1724, R155-2012-11280)
- H. Lundbeck A/S
- National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH105500)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Keywords
- anxiety disorders, mortality risk, depression, comorbidities, unnatural causes of death, natural death
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Anxiety Disorders, Cause of Death, Denmark, Depression, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Registries, Comorbidity, Case-Control Studies, Young Adult
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