04 Mar Study Examines Trajectory of Moderate or Severe Depression
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Katherine Musliner
Katherine L. Musliner, PhD
National Centre for Register-Based Research, Department of Economics and Business Economics, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research
Department of Mental Health
The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: There is great variation among patients with depression in terms of long-term illness course. This variation may be indicative of underlying differences in the cause of the illness, and from a practical perspective, it also has implications for treatment and allocation of public health resources. Our goal was to identify different trajectories of depression course by examining inpatient and outpatient contacts for depression at psychiatric treatment facilities in Denmark (where healthcare is free) during the 10-year period following patients’ initial depression diagnosis.
We found that the majority of patients (77% in our sample) followed a trajectory characterized by a brief period of contact with the psychiatric treatment system and no contact for depression during the remainder of the 10-year follow up period. Patients with more prolonged contact either had a drawn out initial period of contact lasting as long as five years (13%), left depression treatment for several years only to return with a depression diagnosis years later (7%) or exhibited a chronic course (3%).
MedicalResearch.com: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?
Response: Most patients with moderate or severe depression (that is, depressive symptoms severe enough to require treatment in a specialized psychiatric facility) exit the psychiatric treatment system relatively quickly. This is a hopeful message for patients and their loved ones, as it suggests that an episode of depression, even one severe enough to require specialty treatment, does not necessarily mean a decade of severe depression.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Response: Additional research is needed to delve more deeply into the outcomes of patients with ‘brief contact’ trajectories. How many truly recover, and how many continue to experience less severe depressive symptoms? What proportion of these individuals continue to take antidepressant medications after discontinuing specialty psychiatric treatment, and for how long?
MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.
Citation:
Musliner KL, Munk-Olsen T, Laursen TM, Eaton WW, Zandi PP, Mortensen PB. Heterogeneity in 10-Year Course Trajectories of Moderate to Severe Major Depressive Disorder: A Danish National Register-Based Study. JAMA Psychiatry. Published online March 02, 2016. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2015.3365.
Note: Content is Not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care provider regarding your specific medical condition and questions.
Dr. Katherine L. Musliner (2016). Study Examines Trajectory of Moderate or Severe Depression MedicalResearch.com
Last Updated on March 4, 2016 by Marie Benz MD FAAD