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Generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, and their comorbidity as predictors of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality: The Vietnam experience study

Citation

Phillips, AC and Batty, GD and Gale, CR and Deary, IJ and Osborn, D and Macintyre, K and Carroll, D, Generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, and their comorbidity as predictors of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality: The Vietnam experience study, Psychosomatic Medicine, 71, (4) pp. 395-403. ISSN 0033-3174 (2009) [Refereed Article]

DOI: doi:10.1097/PSY.0b013e31819e6706

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether the 1-year prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and their comorbidity were associated with subsequent all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality during 15 years in Vietnam veterans.

METHODS: Participants (N = 4256) were from the Vietnam Experience Study. Service, sociodemographic, and health data were collected from service files, telephone interviews, and a medical examination. One-year prevalence of MDD and GAD was determined through a diagnostic interview schedule based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (version IV) criteria. Mortality over the subsequent 15 years was gathered from US army records.

RESULTS: MDD and GAD were positively and significantly associated with all-cause and CVD mortality. The relationships between MDD and GAD and CVD mortality were no longer significant after adjustment for sociodemograhics, health status at entry, health behaviors, and other risk markers. Income was the covariate with the strongest impact on this association. In analyses comparing comorbidity and GAD and MDD alone, with neither diagnosis, comorbidity proved to be the strongest predictor of both all-cause and CVD mortality.

CONCLUSION: GAD and MDD predict all-cause mortality in a veteran population after adjusting for a range of covariates. However, those with both GAD and MDD were at greatest risk of subsequent death, and it would seem that these disorders may interact synergistically to affect mortality. Future research on mental disorders and health outcomes, as well as future clinical interventions, should pay more attention to comorbidity.

Item Details

Item Type:Refereed Article
Keywords:Comorbidity; Generalized anxiety disorder; Major depressive disorder; Mortality; Veterans
Research Division:Biomedical and Clinical Sciences
Research Group:Cardiovascular medicine and haematology
Research Field:Cardiology (incl. cardiovascular diseases)
Objective Division:Health
Objective Group:Clinical health
Objective Field:Clinical health not elsewhere classified
UTAS Author:Macintyre, K (Dr Kate Macintyre)
ID Code:95694
Year Published:2009
Web of Science® Times Cited:122
Deposited By:Medicine
Deposited On:2014-10-07
Last Modified:2014-10-07
Downloads:0

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