Clinical correlates of anxious depression in youth from the Texas Youth Depression and Suicide Research Network (TX-YDSRN).

Background: Anxious depression is a prevalent subtype of depression associated with adverse outcomes such as higher depression severity and higher rates of suicidality. This study leveraged a state-wide research registry of depressed and/or suicidal youth to compare the prevalence, clinical correlates, and symptom patterns of those with versus without anxious depression.
Methods: We included baseline data from 797 participants (ages 8-20) with a diagnosis of a depressive disorder. A score on the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) ≥ 10 was used to define individuals with and without anxious depression. A structured battery was used to capture psychiatric diagnostic status, depression/anxiety severity, suicide risk, history of trauma, functioning, and resilience.
Results: The prevalence of anxious depression among youth with depressive disorders was 59.5 % (n = 474). Youth with anxious depression had greater depression severity and anxiety symptoms, higher suicidality, and a higher prevalence of comorbid anxiety disorders than those without. Youth with anxious depression had greater impairment in functioning defined as worse pain interference, pain severity, fatigue, and social relationships compared to those without anxious depression. Youth with anxious depression also reported higher rates of depressive symptoms such as irritable mood, feelings of guilt, and psychomotor agitation compared to those without anxious depression.
Conclusion: Anxious depression is associated with worse depression severity, higher suicidality, and lower functioning. Longitudinal work is needed to examine long-term courses of anxious depression to explore its stability as a diagnostic subcategory.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Drs. Ayvaci, Nandy, Minhajuddin, Riddle, Hettema, and Slater and Ms. Gorman report no conflicts of interest. Dr. Storch reports receiving research funding to his institution from the Ream Foundation, International OCD Foundation, and NIH. He was formerly a consultant for Brainsway and Biohaven Pharmaceuticals in the past 12 months. He owns stock less than $5000 in NView. He receives book royalties from Elsevier, Wiley, Oxford, American Psychological Association, Guildford, Springer, Routledge, and Jessica Kingsley. Dr. Soutullo has been in the past 3 years a Consultant / Advisory Board member of: NeuroTech Solutions Ltd., Limbix Health & Big Health (DSMB) and Innosphere (ad hoc). He has served on the Speaker bureau of Bial, Medice, Rubio and Tecnofarma/Adium. He has received Departmental (non-personal) research funds from the Vivian L. Smith Foundation and the Favrot Fund, in support of the Child & Adolescent Mood Disorders Program (ChAMP Clinic). He receives book and Master courses royalties from Editorial Medica Panamericana. He is a full-time employee of The University of Texas (UT Health) Houston since 9/2019, where he is John S. Dunn Endowed Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences since 3/2023. Dr. Wakefield serves as an Executive Committee Member of the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium. Dr. Trivedi has provided consulting services to Acadia Pharmaceuticals, Alkermes Inc., Alto Neuroscience Inc, Axsome Therapeutics, BasePoint Health management LLC, Biogen MA Inc, Cerebral Inc., Circular Genomics Inc., Compass Pathfinder Limited, Daiichi Sankyo Inc., GH Research, GreenLight VitalSign6 Inc, Heading Health, Janssen Pharmaceutical, Legion Health, Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., Mind Medicine Inc., Myriad Neuroscience, Naki Health Ltd, Neurocrine Biosciences Inc., Noema Pharma AG, Orexo US Inc., Otsuka America Pharmaceutical Inc., Otsuka Europe LTD, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization Inc., Praxis Precision Medicines Inc, PureTech LYT Inc, Relmada Therapeutics Inc., SAGE Therapeutics, Signant Health, Sparian Biosciences, Titan Pharmaceuticals, Takeda Pharmaceuticals Inc, WebMD. He has received grant/research funding from NIMH, NIDA, NCATS, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, SAMHSA, and the DoD. Additionally, he has received editorial compensation from Elsevier and Oxford University Press.
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