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Purpose: Network medicine considers networks among genes, diseases, and individuals. Networks of mental disorders remain poorly understood, despite their high comorbidity. In this study, a network of mental disorders in Korea was constructed to offer a complementary approach to treatment.Methods: Data on the prevalence and morbidity of mental disorders were obtained from the 2006 and 2011 Korean Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study, including 22 psychiatric disorders. Nodes in the network were disease phenotypes identified by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV, and the links connected phenotypes showing significant comorbidity. Odds ratios were used to quantify the distance between disease pairs. Network centrality was analyzed with and without weighting of the links between disorders. Degree centrality was correlated with suicidal behaviors and use of mental health services.Results: In 2011 and 2006, degree centrality was highest for major depressive disorder, followed by nicotine dependence and generalized anxiety disorder (2011) or alcohol dependence (2006). Weighted degree centrality was highest in conversion disorder in both years.Conclusions: Therefore, major depressive disorder and nicotine dependence are highly connected to other mental disorders in Korea, indicating their comorbidity and possibility of shared biological mechanisms. The use of networks could enhance the understanding of mental disorders to provide effective mental health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Near-elderly adults go through many changes in socioeconomic status, such as retirement, which may affect their mental health differently according to when they live. We aimed to compare the prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) and its changes according to sociodemographic factors using nationally representative surveys of Korean near-elderly adults conducted 10 years apart.Methods: Nationwide community samples of individuals aged 55-64 years living in 2001 (n = 1256) and 2011 (n = 1066) were compared. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using the Korean version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview to diagnose MDD. Sociodemographic data were collected using self-reported questionnaires including questions on employment and economic status. We examined differences in MDD prevalence and its association with sociodemographic factors over time by calculating 2011-to-2001 odds ratios (ORs) using multivariable logistic regression models.Results: Among near-elderly people, MDD tended to be more prevalent in 2011 than in 2001. However, only near-elderly men in 2011 showed a higher risk of MDD compared with those in 2001 (2011-to-2001 OR 4.19), while women did not. The prevalence ratio by gender decreased from 7.04 in 2001 to 2.34 in 2011. Among vulnerable sociodemographic groups, a significant increase in MDD was observed in unemployed men (adjusted OR 8.35), but not in unemployed women or other vulnerable groups.Conclusion: This study provides evidence of a substantial increase in MDD in Korean near-elderly men and suggests that unemployment should be considered as an important correlate of MDD in this group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the natural course of depressive symptoms among community-dwelling elderly over 5 years. Rates and correlates of the incidence and the persistence of late-life depression were examined., Methods: A total of 701 elderly people 65 years of age or older without dementia at baseline were included in this study. The association between categorically defined late-life depression (score of ≥ 8 on the Korean version of the Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form) and possible lifestyle and clinical risk factors, including physical activity assessed with a modified Korean version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and transformed into weekly Metabolic Equivalent Task (MET) values, was longitudinally investigated using multiple logistic regression analyses. Adjustment was done with sociodemographic variables, chronic medical illnesses, and cognitive dysfunction., Results: During the 5-year follow-up, 74 (26.5%) of the non-depressed elderly developed depression, whereas 30 (49.2%) of the depressed elderly experienced persistent depression. Above-moderate baseline physical activity was independently associated with decreased incidence and persistence rates of late-life depression (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.44, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.22-0.85; AOR = 0.17, 95% CI = 0.03-0.92, respectively), whereas mild physical activity was not. Conversely, poorer executive function also predicted 5-year incident depression (AOR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.89-0.98) but not persistent depression., Conclusion: This study suggests that a minimum of moderate physical activity is related to both emergent and persistent depression in elderly individuals. Research with an extended follow-up period and a shorter inter-assessment interval is needed to confirm this result., (Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)