Andrea Gabilondo

Epidemiology of major depressive episode in a southern European country: Results from the ESEMeD-Spain project

BACKGROUND Information of the epidemiology of Major Depressive Episode (MDE) in Spain, one of the biggest southern European countries, is scarce and heterogeneous. The objective of this study was to assess the epidemiology of the disorder in the Spanish sample of the ESEMeD project. METHODS The ESEMED-Spain project is a cross-sectional, general population, household survey conducted with a representative sample of Spanish non-institutionalized adult population. The survey instrument was the CIDI 3.0, a structured diagnostic interview to assess disorders and treatment. RESULTS Lifetime prevalence was 10.6% while 12-month prevalence was 4.0%. A monotonic increase in lifetime overall prevalence was found from the youngest to the 50-64 cohort, declining then in the oldest group. Median age of onset was 30.0. Being a woman (OR=2.7), previously married (OR=1.8), unemployed or disabled to work (OR=2.9) was associated to higher risk of 12-month-MDE. The highest comorbid associations were with dysthymia (OR=73.1) and panic disorder (OR=41.8). LIMITATIONS 1. Psychiatric diagnoses were made by trained lay interviewers and this could have an imperfect sensitivity/specificity; 2. Individuals with mental illness could have more frequently rejected to participate in the survey; 3. Age-related recall bias could have affected the accuracy of age of onset estimates. CONCLUSIONS The study shows that prevalence MDE in Spain is lower than in other Western countries. Important findings are the early age of onset, the high proportion of chronicity, and the high female/male ratio. Taken together, results offer a complex picture of the epidemiology of MDE in Spain, when compared to other countries in Europe. The role of cultural factors is discussed.

Prevalencia y factores de riesgo de las ideas, planes e intentos de suicidio en la población general española. Resultados del estudio ESEMeD

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Suicide is a public health problem and it is increasing in Spain. The objective of this study is to analyze the prevalence and risk factors of suicide related outcomes (ideation, plan and attempt) using data from the ESEMeD-Spain project. SUBJECTS AND METHOD This is a face-to-face household survey carried out in a probability representative sample of the adult general population of Spain. 5,473 subjects were interviewed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 3.0), developed by the World Mental Health Survey Initiative. RESULTS Lifetime prevalence of suicide ideation and attempts was 4.4% and 1.5%, respectively. Risk of suicide related outcomes was significantly higher among women (odds ratio [OR] = 2.3-2.7), younger cohorts (OR = 21.3-86), and lower education levels (OR = 5.3-6.4). Having a mental disorder was associated to an increased risk in all diagnostic categories, but especially in major depressive episode (OR = 5.3-6.8). Risk of suicide attempt was higher during the first year since the onset of ideation (OR = 30.2), decreasing thereafter. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of suicide related outcomes is low when compared with other countries. Results identified groups with higher risk (women, young, subjects with a mental disorder, psychiatric comorbidity and recent suicidal ideation) in which suicide prevention could show benefits.

Use of Primary and Specialized Mental Health Care for a Major Depressive Episode in Spain by ESEMeD Respondents

OBJECTIVE This study described use of services for a major depressive episode and determined factors associated with use in Spain, a country with universal access to care and a relatively low prevalence of depression. METHODS Data were from the European Study of the Epidemiology of Mental Disorders (ESEMeD). ESEMeD-Spain was a cross-sectional, general population survey conducted with a representative sample of noninstitutionalized adults (N=5,473). The Composite International Diagnostic Interview was used, and 12-month use of services for a major depressive episode, types of services used, and receipt of minimally adequate treatment were assessed. RESULTS Among the 247 respondents with a major depressive episode in the past 12 months, 59% reported any use of past-year services for their disorder; of this group, 76% reported receipt of any active treatment (from a health care or mental health professional). Among respondents with severe depression, 31% used no services. A higher likelihood of service use was found among those who were unemployed or too disabled to work (OR=4.9, CI=1.3-19), who had moderate depression symptoms (OR=3.2, CI=1.1-9.0), and who had one mental disorder comorbid with depression (OR=2.9, CI=1.2-7.0) or two or more such comorbid disorders (OR=4.1, CI=1.9-8.9). In the active treatment group, only 31.2% received treatment that was minimally adequate. CONCLUSIONS There is a need in Spain to increase use of services for a major depressive episode, especially among certain population groups, such as women, and to improve adequacy of treatments. The role of specific factors, such as availability of services and of professionals, deserves further research.

Exposure to violence, a risk for suicide in youths and young adults. A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies

To assess the association and magnitude of the effect of early exposure to different types of interpersonal violence (IPV) with suicide attempt and suicide death in youths and young adults.

Comorbidity of major depressive episode and chronic physical conditions in Spain, a country with low prevalence of depression

OBJECTIVES The objectives were to describe the comorbidity between 12-month major depressive episode (MDE) and chronic physical condition (CPC) in Spain, a Latin country with relatively low prevalence of depression. METHODS The European Study of Epidemiology of Mental Disorders (ESEMeD)-Spain is a cross-sectional, general-population, household survey representative of the Spanish noninstitutionalized adult population (N=5473). The Composite International Diagnostic Interview was used for assessing mental disorders. CPCs were assessed among a subsample (N=2121) with a standardized checklist. Logistic regression analysis was performed. ESEMeD-Spain is part of the World Health Organization World Mental Health Surveys. RESULTS Among those with CPC, the prevalence of MDE was 5.9%, and the odds ratio (OR) of comorbid MDE was 2.2 compared with those without CPC. The strongest association with MDE was for respiratory disorders (OR up to 7.8). Having an MDE increased notably the odds of disability among those with a CPC (ORs ranged from 3.6 to 23.0). The likelihood of receiving treatment for the MDE was similar irrespective of having or not comorbid CPC. CONCLUSIONS Results show intense associations among MDE and CPC. Compared to other developed countries, higher likehoods of comorbidity and more severe impacts on disability are found in specific comorbid conditions. These findings highlight the need to improve the treatment of MDE in those with a CPC in Spain.

Longitudinal association between self-injurious thoughts and behaviors and suicidal behavior in adolescents and young adults: A systematic review with meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Adolescents with previous self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITB) have over 2-fold risk of dying by suicide, higher than older ages. This meta-analysis aims to disentangle the association of each SITB with subsequent suicidal behavior in adolescence/young adulthood, the contribution of each SITB, and the proportion of suicide deaths with no previous suicide attempt. METHODS We searched 6 databases until June 2015. INCLUSION CRITERIA 1. Assessment of any previous SITB [a) suicidal thoughts and behaviors (ideation; threat/gesture; plan; attempt); b) non-suicidal thoughts and behaviors (thoughts; threat/gesture; self-injury); c) self-harm] as a risk factor of suicide attempt or suicide death; 2. Case-control or cohort studies; 3. Subjects aged 12-26y. Random effect models, metaregression analyses including mental health and environmental variables, and population attributable risks (PAR)s were estimated. RESULTS From 23,682 potentially eligible articles, 29 were included in the meta-analysis (1,122,054 individuals). While 68% of all youth suicide deaths had no previous suicide attempt, suicide death was very strongly associated with any previous SITB (OR=22.53, 95%CI: 18.40-27.58). Suicide attempts were also associated with a history of previous SITB (OR=3.48, 95%CI: 2.71-4.43). There were no moderating effects for mental health and environmental features. The PAR of previous SITB to suicide attempts is 26%. LIMITATIONS There is considerable heterogeneity between the available studies. Due to limitations in the original studies, an over-estimation of the proportion dying at their first attempt cannot be ruled out, since they might have missed unrecognized previous suicide attempts. CONCLUSIONS Although more than two thirds of suicide deaths in adolescence/young adulthood have occurred with no previous suicidal behavior, previous SITBs have a much higher risk of dying by suicide than previously reported in this age group.

Mental disorders as risk factors for suicidal behavior in young people: a meta-analysis and systematic review of longitudinal studies

BACKGROUND Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people. OBJECTIVE To assess mental disorders as risk factors for suicidal behaviour among adolescents and young adults including population-based longitudinal studies. METHOD We conducted a systematic literature review. Bibliographic searches undertaken in five international databases and grey literature sources until January 2017 yielded a total of 26,883 potential papers. 1701 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility of which 1677 were excluded because they did not meet our eligibility criteria. Separate meta-analyses were conducted for each outcome (suicide death and suicide attempts). Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) and beta coefficients and standard errors were calculated. RESULTS 24 studies were finally included involving 25,354 participants (12-26 years). The presence of any mental disorder was associated with higher risk of suicide death (OR = 10.83, 95%CI = 4.69-25.00) and suicide attempt (OR = 3.56; 95%CI 2.24-5.67). When considering suicidal attempt as the outcome, only affective disorders (OR = 1.54; 95%CI = 1.21-1.96) were significant. Finally, the results revealed that psychiatric comorbidity was a primary risk factor for suicide attempts. LIMITATIONS Data were obtained from studies with heterogeneous diagnostic assessments of mental disorders. Nine case-control studies were included and some data were collected in students, not in general population. CONCLUSIONS Mental disorders and comorbidity are strong predictors of suicide behaviour in young people. Detection and management of the affective disorders as well as their psychiatric comorbidity could be a crucial strategy to prevent suicidality in this age group.

Medidas de frecuencia utilizadas en estudios de cohortes para evaluar el comportamiento suicida en jóvenes (12-26 años): una revisión sistemática

INTRODUCTION A priority for the WHO by 2020 is to have reduced the rates of suicide; they indicate difficulties in giving precise estimations due to a wide variety of factors, which include aspects related to the statistical measurements themselves of suicidal behaviour. The proportion of deaths from suicide is 8.5% among young people between 15-29 years of age. OBJECTIVE To review the methodology used to express the frequency of suicidal behaviour in young people and to describe the methodological characteristics of the studies reviewed. METHOD A systematic review of longitudinal studies registered on PROSPERO. The extracted information included the following: year of publication, journal, population size, sample, country, design, age, percentage of men, follow-up time and losses, suicidal behaviour, risk factors, ethical aspects, fundamentally, evaluating the measures of frequency used. RESULTS Eighty-two articles were selected from 37,793 documents. None of the studies define the measure of frequency used for suicidal behaviour, there are currently up to 9 different ways of measuring it. The populations are students or the general population (66%), birth cohorts (16%) and specific groups. Follow-up was from 24 weeks to 30 years. Only 24.1% of the studies took ethical aspects into consideration. CONCLUSIONS Researchers must make an effort to reach an agreement on the measures of frequency used in suicidal behaviour studies, as the methodological and terminological variability currently used impedes making any comparisons between different studies or understanding the real dimension of the problem.