Key result
Depressogenic medication was significantly associated with non-major depressive disorder rather than major depressive disorder, suggesting drug-associated depression has an atypical presentation.
Why the study?
The contribution of depressogenic drugs to depression and differences between major depressive disorder and non-MDD in the elderly population were unclear.
Does the use of depressogenic medication contribute differently to the occurrence of major depressive disorder (MDD) versus non-MDD in the elderly?
Observational (n=96)
Does the use of depressogenic medication contribute differently to the occurrence of major depressive disorder (MDD) versus non-MDD in the elderly?
Drug-associated depression in the elderly may often present as a non-major depressive disorder with an atypical presentation rather than major depressive disorder.
Drug-associated depression may present atypically as non-MDD in elderly; hypothesis-generating and needs prospective validation before practice implications.
In this pilot study we investigate whether the heterogeneous variety of drugs classified in our previous work as depressogenic contributes to the occurrence of depression and whether there are differences in this contribution between major depressive disorder (MDD) and non-MDD. The study was performed in a small sample (N = 96) of community-dwelling elderly, population-based and weighed for the distribution of age, gender and prevalence of depressive symptoms. Other aetiological aspects of depression, such as age, female gender, cerebral deterioration, a previous history of mental disorder or a family history of mental disorder, were controlled for. When subjects with a MDD were separated from the other depressed subjects, all associations with medication became stronger in MDD, except for the use of the depressogenic medication, which was less frequent in MDD. This contrast only reached the level of significance after correcting for the other aetiological contributions. In MDD, the use of depressogenic medication may play an aetiological role but other factors seem more relevant. We found a significant association between depressogenic medication and non-MDD; this strengthens our suspicion that DAD is not MDD. DAD, especially in the elderly population, may (often) not be a MDD but a non-MDD with an atypical presentation.
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Dhondt et al. (1996) conducted an observational in Depression (n=96). Depressogenic medication was evaluated on Occurrence of depression (MDD vs non-MDD). Depressogenic medication was significantly associated with non-major depressive disorder rather than major depressive disorder, suggesting drug-associated depression has an atypical presentation.
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