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Background: Sex-related effects on the evolution and phenotype of major depressive disorder (MDD) were reported previously. Methods: This European multicenter cross-sectional study compared sociodemographic, clinical, and treatment patterns between males and females in a real-world sample of 1410 in- and outpatients with current MDD. Results: Male MDD patients (33.1%) were rather inpatients, suffered from moderate to high suicidality levels, received noradrenergicand specific serotonergic antidepressants (ADs) as first-line AD treatment, generally higher mean AD daily doses, and showed a trend towards a more frequent administration of add-on treatments. Female MDD patients (66.9%) were rather outpatients, experienced lower suicidality levels, comorbid thyroid dysfunction, migraine, asthma, and a trend towards earlier disease onset. Conclusions: The identified divergencies may contribute to the concept of maleand female depressive syndromes and serve as predictors of disease severity and course, as they reflect phenomena that were repeatedly related to treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Especially the greater necessity of inpatient treatment and more complex psychopharmacotherapy in men may reflect increased therapeutic efforts undertaken to treat suicidality and to avoid TRD. Hence, considering sex may guide the diagnostic and treatment processes towards targeting challenging clinical manifestations including comorbidities and suicidality, and prevention of TRD and chronicity. more...

Background While the association between relationship status and the development of depressive symptoms in the general population were reported previously, its relation to the severity and the course of major depressive disorder (MDD) as well as the treatment patterns and response rates needs to be elucidated. Methods The present international multicenter cross-sectional study performed by the European Group for the Study of Resistant Depression (GSRD) investigated socio-demographic and clinical patterns of relationship status in a real-world sample of 1410 adult in- and outpatients with MDD as primary diagnosis. Results While 49.9% of all MDD patients were partnered, 25.4% were separated, and 24.8% were single. Single relationship status was linked to younger mean age, earlier mean age of onset, and current suicidal risk. Being separated was related to older mean age, unemployment, greater symptom severity, current suicidal risk, and add-on treatment strategies. Partnered relationship status was associated with less frequent current suicidal risk. Limitations The retrospective assessment of treatment response that was exclusively based on psychopharmacotherapeutic strategies should be critically considered and weighed while interpreting the present results providing novel insights into the complex interaction of relationship status with the clinical phenotype of MDD. Conclusions Although MDD patients living in relationships do not seem to be omitted from the evolution of MDD, they may be spared from chronicity and suicidality. Hence, being aware of the current relationship status might support clinicians in the diagnostic and therapeutic process towards optimized management of such challenging clinical phenomena and their negative consequences. more...

BACKGROUND: The present multicenter study aimed at defining the clinical profile of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and comorbid migraine. METHODS: Demographic and clinical information for 1410 MDD patients with vs without concurrent migraine were compared by descriptive statistics, analyses of covariance, and binary logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: The point prevalence rate for comorbid migraine was 13.5% for female and 6.2% for male patients. MDD + migraine patients were significantly younger, heavier, more likely female, of non-Caucasian origin, outpatient, and suffering from asthma. The presence of MDD + migraine resulted in a significantly higher functional disability. First-line antidepressant treatment strategy revealed a trend towards agomelatine. Second-generation antipsychotics were significantly less often administered for augmentation treatment in migraineurs. Overall, MDD + migraine patients tended to respond worse to their pharmacotherapy. CONCLUSION: Treatment guidelines for comorbid depression and migraine are warranted to ensure optimal efficacy and avoid possible pitfalls in psychopharmacotherapy, including serotonin syndrome., SCOPUS: ar.j, DecretOANoAutActif, info:eu-repo/semantics/published more...

There is still a debate, if melancholic symptoms can be seen rather as a more severe subtype of major depressive disorder (MDD) or as a separate diagnostic entity. The present European multicenter study comprising altogether 1410 MDD in- and outpatients sought to investigate the influence of the presence of melancholic features in MDD patients. Analyses of covariance, chi-squared tests, and binary logistic regression analyses were accomplished to determine differences in socio-demographic and clinical variables between MDD patients with and without melancholia. We found a prevalence rate of 60.71% for melancholic features in MDD. Compared to non-melancholic MDD patients, they were characterized by a significantly higher likelihood for higher weight, unemployment, psychotic features, suicide risk, inpatient treatment, severe depressive symptoms, receiving add-on medication strategies in general, and adjunctive treatment with antidepressants, antipsychotics, benzodiazepine (BZD)/BZD-like drugs, low-potency antipsychotics, and pregabalin in particular. With regard to the antidepressant pharmacotherapy, we found a less frequent prescription of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in melancholic MDD. No significant between-group differences were found for treatment response, non-response, and resistance. In summary, we explored primarily variables to be associated with melancholia which can be regarded as parameters for the presence of severe/difficult-to treat MDD conditions. Even if there is no evidence to realize any specific treatment strategy in melancholic MDD patients, their prescribed medication strategies were different from those for patients without melancholia. more...

Since many patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) do not satisfactorily respond to initial antidepressant monotherapy, add-on treatment strategies with other psychiatric compounds are often established. The present European multicenter cross-sectional study comprising 1410 MDD in- and outpatients investigated the prescription pattern of benzodiazepines as add-on treatment in the psychopharmacotherapy of MDD. Analyses of variance, chi-squared tests, and logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine differences in socio-demographic, clinical, and treatment characteristics between benzodiazepine users and non-users. The prescription rate for adjunctive benzodiazepine treatment amounted to 31.35%. The most often administered benzodiazepines were lorazepam (11.13%), clonazepam (6.74%), and alprazolam (6.60%). Benzodiazepine users exhibited more severe depressive symptoms expressed by a higher mean Montgomery and Åsberg Depression Rating Scale total score at study entry (26.92 ± 11.07 vs 23.55 ± 11.23, p more...