The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in people with pre-existing mental health disorders is unclear. In three psychiatry case-control cohorts, we compared the perceived mental health ...impact and coping and changes in depressive symptoms, anxiety, worry, and loneliness before and during the COVID-19 pandemic between people with and without lifetime depressive, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorders.
Between April 1 and May 13, 2020, online questionnaires were distributed among the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety, Netherlands Study of Depression in Older Persons, and Netherlands Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Association cohorts, including people with (n=1181) and without (n=336) depressive, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorders. The questionnaire contained questions on perceived mental health impact, fear of COVID-19, coping, and four validated scales assessing depressive symptoms, anxiety, worry, and loneliness used in previous waves during 2006-16. Number and chronicity of disorders were based on diagnoses in previous waves. Linear regression and mixed models were done.
The number and chronicity of disorders showed a positive graded dose-response relation, with greater perceived impact on mental health, fear, and poorer coping. Although people with depressive, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorders scored higher on all four symptom scales than did individuals without these mental health disorders, both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, they did not report a greater increase in symptoms during the pandemic. In fact, people without depressive, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorders showed a greater increase in symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic, whereas individuals with the greatest burden on their mental health tended to show a slight symptom decrease.
People with depressive, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorders are experiencing a detrimental impact on their mental health from the COVID-19 pandemic, which requires close monitoring in clinical practice. Yet, the COVID-19 pandemic does not seem to have further increased symptom severity compared with their prepandemic levels.
Dutch Research Council.
Abstract Background This study describes lifetime and current rates of comorbidity, its onset and its consequences in a large clinical sample of patients with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). A ...wide range of risk factors and clinical characteristics were also examined to determine whether pure OCD is different from OCD with current comorbidity. Finally, the temporal sequencing of the disorders was examined. Method Data were obtained from the Netherlands Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Association (NOCDA) study. A sample of 382 participants with current OCD (during the past month) was evaluated. Results Current comorbidity occurred in 55% of patients with OCD, while 78% suffered from lifetime comorbidity. Comorbidity is associated with more severe OCD, anxiety and depressive symptoms and more negative consequences on daily life. Multiple comorbid disorders often precede OCD and influence both its course and severity. Childhood trauma and neuroticism are vulnerability factors for the development of multiple comorbid disorders in OCD. Limitations It should be noted that causal inferences about the association between risk factors and OCD are precluded since our results were based on cross-sectional data. Conclusion (Multiple) comorbidity in OCD is clinically relevant since it is associated with a specific pattern of vulnerability, with greater chronicity, with more severe OCD and more negative consequences on daily life. This indicates that the diagnosis and treatment of all comorbid disorders is clinically relevant, and clinicians should be especially aware of multiple disorders in cases of childhood trauma and high levels of neuroticism. Primary OCD has a different developmental and comorbidity pattern compared to secondary OCD.
Abstract Background Despite increasing evidence for the diagnostic instability between and within depressive and anxiety disorders, most studies report solely on the recurrence rates of the specific ...index disorders. Neglecting this evidence has an inherent risk of underestimating recurrence rates of depressive and anxiety disorders. This study investigates the impact of diagnostic instability of recurrence rates in depression and anxiety. Methods Data were derived from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA). The sample of 656 participants had a panic disorder with or without agoraphobia, agoraphobia, social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder or dysthymia, and a subsequent remission. Recurrence rates of index disorders (diagnostically stable recurrence) and newly arisen anxiety or depressive disorders (diagnostically unstable recurrence), were calculated over a 4-year follow-up period. Results In anxiety disorders (n=281), the recurrence rate is more than doubled, from 23.8% with a stable recurrence, to 54.8%, when diagnostically unstable recurrences are included. In depressive disorders (N=173) the recurrence rate increases from 37.6% to 49.7%, and in comorbid anxiety and depressive disorders (N=202) the diagnostically unstable recurrences increase from 54.0% to 66.3%. Limitations Attrition during follow up may have biased the results; remission was defined as absence of symptoms for 1 month; very short-term remission and recurrence patterns were not assessed. Conclusions Diagnostically unstable recurrences have a significant impact on recurrence rates, with the greatest instability for anxiety disorders. When only diagnostically stable recurrences are assessed, recurrence rates are highly underrated and provide biased estimates of the true course of these disorders.
Psychotherapy for Depression in Adults Cuijpers, Pim; van Straten, Annemieke; Andersson, Gerhard ...
Journal of consulting and clinical psychology,
12/2008, Letnik:
76, Številka:
6
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Although the subject has been debated and examined for more than 3 decades, it is still not clear whether all psychotherapies are equally efficacious. The authors conducted 7 meta-analyses (with a ...total of 53 studies) in which 7 major types of psychological treatment for mild to moderate adult depression (cognitive-behavior therapy, nondirective supportive treatment, behavioral activation treatment, psychodynamic treatment, problem-solving therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, and social skills training) were directly compared with other psychological treatments. Each major type of treatment had been examined in at least 5 randomized comparative trials. There was no indication that 1 of the treatments was more or less efficacious, with the exception of interpersonal psychotherapy (which was somewhat more efficacious;
d
= 0.20) and nondirective supportive treatment (which was somewhat less efficacious than the other treatments;
d
= −0.13). The drop-out rate was significantly higher in cognitive-behavior therapy than in the other therapies, whereas it was significantly lower in problem-solving therapy. This study suggests that there are no large differences in efficacy between the major psychotherapies for mild to moderate depression.
ABSTRACT
Background
Taking patient preference into consideration has received increased attention in the last decades. We conducted a meta‐analysis to estimate the effects of patient preference on ...clinical outcome, satisfaction and adherence regarding treatment of depression and anxiety.
Methods
Pubmed, Embase, PsycINFO and Scopus were searched for (cluster) randomized controlled trials. Twenty‐six randomized controlled clinical trials were included, comprising 3670 participants, examining the effect of patient preference regarding treatment of anxiety and depression on clinical outcome, satisfaction and/or adherence.
Results
No effect of patient preference was found on clinical outcome d = 0.06, 95% CI = (−0.03, 0.15), p = 0.16, n = 23 studies. A small effect of patient preference was found on treatment satisfaction d = 0.33, 95% CI = (0.08, 0.59), p = 0.01, n = 6 studies and on treatment adherence OR = 1.55, 95% CI = (1.28, 1.87), p < 0.001, n = 22 studies.
Limitations
Patient preference is a heterogeneous concept, future studies should strive to equalize operationalization of preference. Subgroup analyses within this study should be interpreted with caution because the amount of studies per analysed subgroup was generally low. Most studies included in this meta‐analysis focused on patients with depression. The small number of studies (n = 6) on satisfaction, prevents us from drawing firm conclusions.
Conclusions
While this meta‐analysis did not find a positive effect of considering patient preference on clinical outcome, it was associated with slightly better treatment satisfaction and adherence. Accommodating preference of patients with anxiety and depression can improve treatment.
Trial Registration
PROSPERO: CRD42020172556
Abstract Objective Prevalence rates of depression and anxiety in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) vary widely across studies. Aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to a) estimate ...the prevalence of depression and anxiety in MS, and specifically b) explore sources of heterogeneity (assessment method, prevalence period, study quality, recruitment resource, region) by extensive analyses. Methods A computerized search in PubMed, EMBASE, and PsycINFO for studies on depression and anxiety in MS was performed up to December 2014. Results Fifty-eight articles with a total sample size of 87,756 MS patients were selected. Pooled mean prevalence was 30.5% (95% CI = 26.3%
–
35.1%) for depression, and 22.1% (95% CI = 15.2%
–
31.0%) for anxiety. Prevalence of clinically significant depressive or anxiety symptoms was higher (35% and 34%) compared with disorders (21%; p = 0
.001 and 10%; p < 0
.001). Prevalence of a depressive disorder was relatively lower in studies from Europe. Anxiety disorder was more prevalent in community-based samples. Sources of high heterogeneity were not revealed. Conclusions Data of a large number of patients indicate increased prevalence of depression and anxiety in MS. Further research is needed to identify sources of heterogeneity. Issues to consider are the definition of depression and anxiety, patient recruitment, and patient characteristics.
Objectives
Obsessive‐compulsive disorder (OCD) is a debilitating psychiatric disorder, often complicated with comorbidities. Social phobia (SP) is the most frequent co‐occurring anxiety disorder in ...OCD, associated with increased clinical severity. However, no study had examined the relevance of interpersonal processes in this comorbidity, which are at the core of SP. This study characterized the clinical (i.e., symptom profile, age of onset, chronicity, and comorbidity), vulnerability (i.e., childhood trauma, negative life events), and interpersonal (attachment style, expressed emotion, and social support) correlates of comorbid SP in a large sample of OCD patients.
Methods
We analysed the data of 382 OCD patients participating in the Netherlands Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Association (NOCDA) study. We examined the correlates of SP in OCD using self‐report questionnaires and structured clinical interviews. In addition, data of 312 non‐OCD SP patients were drawn from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA), to compare the age of onset of SP between groups. Descriptive univariate analyses were followed by backward stepwise logistic regression analyses.
Results
Social phobia was present among approximately 20% of OCD patients. Social phobia in OCD was associated with increased depression severity and decreased ratings of secure attachment style. Among OCD patients, SP had a significantly earlier age onset as compared to SP in non‐OCD patients.
Conclusion
Social phobia in OCD might render a vulnerable clinical picture, characterized with early onset of SP symptoms, insecure attachment style, and increased depressive symptoms. Future studies should use prospective designs to better understand the nature of comorbid SP in OCD.
Practitioner points
Approximately one fifth of OCD patients were diagnosed with comorbid social phobia in a large representative clinical sample.
OCD patients with comorbid social phobia presented with a vulnerable clinical picture, characterized with increased depression severity and decreased ratings of secure attachment style.
Social phobia in OCD was associated with an earlier AOO as compared to the AOO of social phobia without OCD.
The findings are limited by a cross‐sectional design; thus, causality could not be assessed.
Research is needed to further examine the mechanisms of comorbid social phobia in OCD.
Self-esteem is an important psychological concept that can be measured explicitly (reflective processing) and implicitly (associative processing). The current study examined 1) the association ...between childhood trauma (CT) and both explicit and implicit self-esteem, and 2) whether self-esteem mediated the association between CT and depression/anxiety.
In 1479 adult participants of the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety, CT was assessed with a semi-structured interview, depression/anxiety symptoms with self-report questionnaires and explicit and implicit self-esteem with the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and Implicit Association Test, respectively. ANOVAs and regression analyses determined the association between CT (no/mild/severe CT), its subtypes (abuse/neglect) and self-esteem. Finally, we examined whether self-esteem mediated the relationship between CT and depression/anxiety.
Participants with CT reported lower explicit (but not lower implicit) self-esteem compared to those without CT (p < .001, partial η2 = 0.06). All CT types were associated with lower explicit self-esteem (p = .05 for sexual abuse, p < .001 for other CT types), while only emotional neglect significantly associated with lower implicit self-esteem after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics (p = .03). Explicit self-esteem mediated the relationship between CT and depression/anxiety symptoms (proportion mediated = 48–77 %).
The cross-sectional design precludes from drawing firm conclusions about the direction of the proposed relationships.
Our results suggested that the relationship between CT and depression/anxiety symptoms can at least partly be explained by explicit self-esteem. This is of clinical relevance as it points to explicit self-esteem as a potential relevant treatment target for people with CT.
•Individuals with CT reported lower explicit self-esteem compared to those without CT.•All CT types were (significantly) associated with lower explicit self-esteem.•CT severity was not associated with lower implicit self-esteem.•Explicit self-esteem mediated the association between CT and depression/anxiety.•Explicit self-esteem could be a relevant treatment target for individuals with CT.
Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT), a structured and time-limited therapy, has been studied in many controlled trials. Numerous practice guidelines have recommended IPT as a treatment of choice for ...unipolar depressive disorders. The authors conducted a meta-analysis to integrate research on the effects of IPT.
The authors searched bibliographical databases for randomized controlled trials comparing IPT with no treatment, usual care, other psychological treatments, and pharmacotherapy as well as studies comparing combination treatment using pharmacotherapy and IPT. Maintenance studies were also included.
Thirty-eight studies including 4,356 patients met all inclusion criteria. The overall effect size (Cohen's d) of the 16 studies that compared IPT and a control group was 0.63 (95% confidence interval CI=0.36 to 0.90), corresponding to a number needed to treat of 2.91. Ten studies comparing IPT and other psychological treatments showed a nonsignificant differential effect size of 0.04 (95% CI=-0.14 to 0.21; number needed to treat=45.45) favoring IPT. Pharmacotherapy (after removal of one outlier) was more effective than IPT (d=-0.19, 95% CI=-0.38 to -0.01; number needed to treat=9.43), and combination treatment was not more effective than IPT alone, although the paucity of studies precluded drawing definite conclusions. Combination maintenance treatment with pharmacotherapy and IPT was more effective in preventing relapse than pharmacotherapy alone (odds ratio=0.37; 95% CI=0.19 to 0.73; number needed to treat=7.63).
There is no doubt that IPT efficaciously treats depression, both as an independent treatment and in combination with pharmacotherapy. IPT deserves its place in treatment guidelines as one of the most empirically validated treatments for depression.