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Both metabolic syndrome (MetS) and subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) are prevalent in major depressive disorder (MDD) patients. However, their relationship in this population remains unknown. The study assessed the association between SCH and MetS in 1706 first-episode drug-naïve (FEDN) MDD patients. We also compared the relationship between MetS and clinical symptoms in patients with and without comorbid SCH. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale positive subscale, the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale were used to detect clinical symptoms. Serum levels of free triiodothyronine, free thyroxine, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), anti-thyroglobulin, thyroid peroxidases antibody, cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and fasting glucose were measured. The Area Under the Curve (AUC) was used to test the performance of serum TSH in identifying MetS patients. The prevalence of MetS and SCH was 34.5% (n = 585) and 61% (n = 1034), respectively. The presence of SCH increased the risk of MetS, hyperglycemia, hypertension, obesity, and low HDL-C by 4.91, 3.51, 3.54, 2.02, and 2.34 times, respectively. Serum TSH had a nice ability to distinguish MetS patients from non-MetS patients (AUC value = 0.77). MetS and its components exhibited a positive association with clinical profiles only in SCH patients, but not in non-SCH patients. Taken together, our study suggested SCH was closely related to MetS and might play a vital role in the relationship between MetS and clinical symptoms. Regular thyroid function checks might help early detect MetS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Major depressive disorder (MDD) with comorbid anxiety is very common and is associated with worse clinical outcomes. MDD patients at different ages of onset may have different clinical features and associated factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of anxiety and related factors in MDD patients at different ages of onset. A total of 1718 first-episode and drug-naïve (FEDN) MDD patients were recruited. The cutoff point for early-adulthood onset (EAO) and mid-adulthood onset (MAO) was the first depressive episode before or after age 45 years. Clinical features (depressive, anxiety and psychiatric symptoms) and some metabolic parameters were collected. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of anxiety between EAO patients (50.7 %) and MAO patients (55.7 %). For EAO patients, regression analysis showed that TSH levels, TgAb levels, and TC levels were significantly associated with anxiety. For MAO patients, regression analysis showed that anxiety was associated with HDL-c levels and impaired glucose metabolism. Furthermore, suicide attempts, psychotic symptoms, and depression severity were correlated with anxiety in both groups. Our cross-sectional study cannot explain the causal relationship between anxiety and related factors in MDD patients at different ages of onset. This study revealed that the clinical characteristics and factors associated with anxiety in MDD patients differed according to age of onset, and therefore age of onset needs to be considered while treating anxiety. • Anxiety was common in major depressive disorder patients of different ages of onset. • Anxiety was associated with TSH levels in early-adulthood onset patients. • Anxiety was associated with glucose metabolism in mid-adulthood onset patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Anxiety frequently occurs with major depressive disorder (MDD) but to a different extent in the various subtypes. Psychotic major depression (PMD) is a severe subtype of MDD that is under-identified and under-studied. We investigated the prevalence and related risk factors of anxiety in PMD patients.Methods: A total of 1718 first episode and drug naïve MDD patients were recruited. Measures included the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), Clinical Global Impression-Severity scale (CGI-S), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), and positive symptom scale of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), thyroid hormone levels, and metabolic parameters.Results: 171 of the entire MDD study sample met the criteria for the PMD subtype. The prevalence of severe anxiety was much higher in PMD patients (22.8 %) than in non-PMD patients (0.4 %) (χ2 = 294.69, P < 0.001, OR = 75.88, 95 % CI = 31.55-182.52). Compared to PMD patients without severe anxiety, PMD patients with severe anxiety had higher HAMD score, CGI-S score, positive symptom subscale score, suicide attempts, blood pressure, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), anti-thyroglobulin (TgAb), and thyroid peroxidases antibody (TPOAb) levels. Furthermore, logistic regression analysis indicated that HAMD score and TSH levels were associated with severe anxiety in PMD patients.Limitations: Our cross-sectional study cannot explain the causal relationship between anxiety severity and risk factors in PMD patients.Conclusions: Our results suggest that PMD patients are more likely to experience severe anxiety than non-PMD patients. The severity of depression and TSH levels are independent risk factors for anxiety in PMD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insomnia is common in patients with schizophrenia, which contributes to worsening psychiatric symptoms and suicidality. We aimed to assess the inter-relationships of insomnia and psychopathology with suicidal ideation (SI) among 1407 Chinese patients with chronic schizophrenia via the network approach. We used Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Insomnia Severity Index, and Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation to assess psychiatric symptoms, insomnia, and SI, respectively. Lifetime suicidal attempts (SA) were collected. (1) The incidence of insomnia, lifetime SI, lifetime SA, and current SI was 13.5% (n = 190), 22.8% (n = 321), 13.5% (n = 190), and 9.7% (n = 136), respectively. (2) Patients with insomnia had worse clinical symptoms and higher suicidal risk. (3) Daytime dysfunction, sleep-related distress, conceptual disorganization, delusions, anxiety, and poor rapport were the core symptoms, while late sleep onset and sleep dissatisfaction emerged as bridge symptoms connecting insomnia and psychopathology. (4) Depressive mood, hallucinations, poor impulse control, guilty feelings, insomnia-related impaired quality of life, and sleep dissatisfaction were directly associated with SI. Our findings called for formal assessment of insomnia in patients with schizophrenia, which should cover both nocturnal and daytime insomnia symptoms. Targeted interventions for key symptoms may help reduce insomnia, psychiatric symptoms, and SI in patients with schizophrenia. • Network of insomnia, psychiatric symptoms, and suicidal ideation in 1407 schizophrenia patients. • Central symptoms: Daytime dysfunction, sleep-related distress, conceptual disorganization, delusions, anxiety, and poor rapport; bridge symptoms: late sleep onset, sleep dissatisfaction. • Suicidal ideation linked to depressive mood, hallucinations, impulse control, guilt, insomnia-impaired life quality. • Recommends thorough insomnia assessments in schizophrenia, covering nocturnal and daytime symptoms. • Targeted treatments for central/bridge symptoms may reduce insomnia, psychiatric symptoms, and suicidal ideation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) have been found to have psychotic symptoms. However, few studies have reported the prevalence of comorbid psychotic symptoms in first-episode drug naïve (FEDN) MDD patients. This study was to investigate the prevalence of psychotic symptoms and related risk factors in a large sample size of FEDN MDD patients in a Chinese population.Methods: A total of 573 patients with diagnosis of MDD at their first episode were recruited with their demographic and clinical data. Positive scale of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale was utilized for psychotic symptoms, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA) for anxiety symptoms, and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) for depressive symptoms.Results: The prevalence of psychotic symptoms in these MDD patients was 9.8%. MDD patients with psychotic symptoms had significantly higher HAMD and HAMA total scores than those without psychotic symptoms (both p < .001). A strong association was found between psychotic MDD and anxiety or suicide, with odds ratio of 33.097 for severe anxiety, and 5.012 for suicide.Conclusions: Our results suggest that psychotic symptoms are common in MDD patients at their first episode. The strong association between psychotic MDD and anxiety or suicide attempts demonstrates the importance of reducing anxiety symptoms in the treatment of psychotic MDD patients as well as the necessity to regularly assess suicide risk in MDD patients with psychotic symptoms to better prevent suicidal behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Backgrounds: Thyroid dysfunction was reported to be associated with depression; however, its role in suicide risk in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) remains unclear. The objective of this study was to compare thyroid function between suicide attempters and non-suicide attempters in a large sample of first episode drug naïve (FEDN) MDD patients, which received little systemic investigation.Methods: A total of 1718 outpatients with diagnosis of MDD at their first episode were recruited. Their socio-demographic, clinical data and thyroid function parameters were collected. The positive subscale of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) were measured for psychotic, anxiety and depressive symptoms, respectively.Results: Our results showed that compared with non-suicide attempters, suicide attempters had greater scores on HAMD, HAMA and PANSS psychotic symptoms and higher serum levels in thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), anti-thyroglobulin (TgAb) and thyroid peroxidases antibody (TPOAb) (all p < 0.001). Further logistic regression analysis indicated that suicide attempts were associated with severe anxiety with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 2.704 and TPOAb with an adjusted OR of 2.188.Limitations: No causal relationship could be drawn due to the cross-sectional design.Conclusions: Our results indicate TSH, TgAb and TPOAb may be promising biomarkers of suicide risk in MDD, suggesting the importance of regular assessment of thyroid function parameters for suicide prevention, and possible treatment for impaired thyroid function for intervention of suicide in MDD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Serum levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), anti-thyroglobulin (TgAb), and thyroid peroxidases antibody (TPOAb) were higher in first-episode drug-naïve major depressive disorder (FEND MDD) patients with psychotic depression (PD) than those without. • The presence of subclinical hypothyroidism increased the risk of PD by 9-fold. • TSH, HAMA scores, and HAMD scores were independently associated with PD. • The combination of TSH, HAMA scores, and HAMD scores excellently distinguished PD patients from non-PD patients. Thyroid dysfunction is common in major depressive disorder (MDD) patients; however, its relationship with psychotic depression (PD) remains unclear. We aimed to assess thyroid hormones in 1718 first episode drug naïve (FEND) MDD patients and to determine their association with PD. The positive subscale of the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS-P), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA), and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) were used to detect clinical symptoms. The serum levels of free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), anti-thyroglobulin (TgAb), and thyroid peroxidases antibody (TPOAb) were assessed. The logistic regression model was conducted to determine risk factors for PD, and the Area Under the Curve (AUC) was used to test the performance of this model. 171 (10%) patients were identified as having PD. Serum levels of TSH, TgAb, and TPOAb displayed small-to-moderate associations with PANSS-P. HAMA score, HAMD score, and TSH levels were independently associated with PD. The regression model had excellent power to distinguish PD patients from non-PD patients with an AUC value of 0.93. Our study suggests TSH levels and severity of depression and anxiety symptoms were independent risk factors for PD. Regular thyroid function tests may help early detect PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]