Follow-up and family study of anxious depression

Anxiety and its features are not included as types or symptoms of depressive syndromes in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This is despite the fact that anxiety symptoms are common in depressed patients and that a more accurate diagnosis for many of these patients might be anxious depression. This study examined the prevalence of six anxiety symptoms in depressed subjects to see if a new classification of anxious depression is needed. Data from 327 patients suffering from primary depressive disorder and no other preexisting psychiatric disorders were analyzed. The data included reported anxiety symptoms, family information, and five-year outcome. Most of the patients suffered from at least one anxiety symptom. Severe or moderate worrying was experienced by almost 75 percent of the patients, 26.9 percent reported suffering severe panic attacks, 41.6 percent reported severe or moderate anxiety producing somatic symptoms and 65.1 percent reported severe or moderate psychic anxiety. Patients with higher anxiety ratings took longer to recover (median of 26 weeks) than those with lower anxiety ratings (median of 13 weeks). Anxiety symptoms in the depressed subjects were not correlated with presence of anxiety disorders or alcoholism in the subjects. The results indicated that anxiety symptoms are an important factor in the primary depressive disorder of many patients and that the symptoms need to be recognized so that proper treatment can be effected. This suggests that a formal classification of anxious depression might prove useful. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)