Renée El-Gabalawy

Comorbidity and Associated Severity of Borderline Personality Disorder and Physical Health Conditions in a Nationally Representative Sample

Objective: To investigate the comorbidity and severity of borderline personality disorder and physical health conditions in a nationally representative sample. Despite the recent trend of examining the relationship between physical and mental health, there has been limited research examining the association of physical health conditions and personality disorders, in particular, borderline personality disorder. Methods: The National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) Wave 2 (n = 34,653; cumulative response rate, 70.2%; age, ≥20 years) was used in the current study. The Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule-Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition was used to assess mental disorders, and self-reports were used to assess physical health conditions. Multiple logistic regression models examined the comorbidity of physical health conditions with borderline personality disorder and associated suicide attempts. Results: After adjusting for sociodemographic variables, common Axis I mental disorders, and Axis II personality disorders, the presence of borderline personality disorder was significantly associated with arteriosclerosis or hypertension, hepatic disease, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal disease, arthritis, venereal disease, and “any assessed medical condition” (adjusted odds ratios, range 1.46–2.80). In the most stringent adjusted model, diabetes, stroke, and obesity were not associated with borderline personality disorder. Furthermore, a greater likelihood of suicide attempts was associated with cardiovascular disease, venereal disease, and “any assessed medical condition” with comorbid borderline personality disorder than borderline personality disorder alone. Conclusion: Careful screening and treatment of physical health conditions among people with borderline personality disorder are warranted. BPD = borderline personality disorder; DSM-IV = Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition; NESARC = National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions; AUDADIS-IV = Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule-DSM-IV Version; BMI = body mass index; HRQOL = health-related quality of life; MCS = mental health-related quality of life component score; PCS = physical health-related quality of life component score.

Prevalence of psychiatric disorders in U.S. older adults: findings from a nationally representative survey.

Data on the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in late life are lacking. The present study addresses this gap in the literature by examining the prevalence of the broadest range of psychiatric disorders in late life to date; comparing prevalences across older adult age groups using the largest sample of adults aged 85+; and exploring gender differences in the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in late life. Using data from Wave 2 of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, we examined the prevalence of past‐year mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders, and lifetime personality disorders in a nationally representative sample of 12,312 U.S. older adults. We stratified our analyses by gender and by older age groups: young‐old (ages 55‐64), middle‐old (ages 65‐74), old‐old (ages 75‐84), and oldest‐old (ages 85+). The proportion of older adults who experienced any past‐year anxiety disorder was 11.4%, while the prevalence of any past‐year mood disorder was 6.8%. A total of 3.8% of older adults met criteria for any past‐year substance use disorder, and 14.5% of older adults had one or more personality disorder. We observed a general pattern of decreasing rates of psychiatric disorders with increasing age. Women experienced higher rates of mood and anxiety disorders, while men had higher rates of substance use disorders and any personality disorder. Gender differences in rates of most psychiatric disorders decreased with increasing age. These data indicate that psychiatric disorders are prevalent among U.S. older adults, and support the importance of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of psychiatric disorders in this population.

Risk factors for incident nonmedical prescription opioid use and abuse and dependence: Results from a longitudinal nationally representative sample

BACKGROUND There has been a significant increase in opioid prescriptions and the prevalence of opioid nonmedical use. Nonmedical use may lead to opioid abuse/dependence, a serious public health concern. The aim of this paper was to determine the mental and physical health predictors of incident nonmedical prescription opioid use (NMPOU) and abuse/dependence, and the impact of comorbidity in a longitudinal, nationally representative sample. METHODS Data come from Waves 1 and 2 of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (N=34,653; ≥20 years old). Mental disorders were assessed using the Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule-DSM-IV edition. Physical conditions were based on self-reports of physician-diagnoses. Multiple logistic regression models examined the associations between mental and physical health predictors at Wave 1 and their association to incident NMPOU and abuse/dependence disorders at Wave 2. RESULTS After adjusting for sociodemographics, Axis I and II mental disorders and physical conditions, the presence of mental disorders (i.e., mood, personality disorders and substance use disorders), physical conditions (i.e., increasing number of physical conditions, any physical condition, arteriosclerosis or hypertension, cardiovascular disease and arthritis) and sociodemographic factors (i.e., sex and marital status) at Wave 1 positively predicted incident abuse/dependence at Wave 2. Comorbid disorders increased the risk of NMPOU and abuse/dependence. CONCLUSION These results suggest the importance of mental and physical comorbidity as a risk for NMPOU and abuse/dependence, emphasizing the need for careful screening practices when prescribing opioids.

Subsyndromal depression among older adults in the USA: prevalence, comorbidity, and risk for new-onset psychiatric disorders in late life

Population‐based data are lacking on the prevalence and comorbidity of subsyndromal depression (SSD) and its associated risk for incident psychiatric disorders in older adults.

Prevalence and Predictors of Persistent Versus Remitting Mood, Anxiety, and Substance Disorders in a National Sample of Older Adults

OBJECTIVES Relatively little is known about whether mental disorders other than depression remit versus persist in later life, especially within nationally representative samples. Our objectives were to examine the prevalence of persistent mood, anxiety, and substance disorders in older adults and to explore a range of physical and mental health predictors of disorder chronicity. METHODS This study involved a 3-year follow-up design using Wave 1 (2001-2002) and Wave 2 (2004-2005) of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Participants included 1,994 adults aged 55 years and older who had a past-year mental disorder at Wave 1 and who completed Wave 2. The primary outcome was the prevalence of persistent mood, anxiety, and substance disorders at Wave 2. Potential predictors of persistence included sociodemographic variables, physical health (chronic health conditions and physical health-related quality of life), and mental health (childhood adversity, suicide attempts, mental health-related quality of life, comorbid mental disorders, personality disorders, and lifetime treatment-seeking). RESULTS With the exception of nicotine dependence, the prevalence of persistent mood, anxiety, and substance disorders ranged from 13% to 33%. Only younger age predicted substance disorder chronicity. Significant predictors of persistent mood and anxiety disorders included physical and mental health comorbidity, physical health- and mental health-related quality of life, suicide attempts, comorbid personality disorders, and treatment-seeking. CONCLUSIONS At least two-thirds of mental disorders in these older adults were not persistent. Sociodemographic variables had little influence on chronicity, whereas a number of markers of mental disorder severity and complexity predicted persistent mood and anxiety disorders. The findings have important treatment and prevention implications.

The association between number and type of traumatic life experiences and physical conditions in a nationally representative sample

OBJECTIVE Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is significantly and positively associated with several physical conditions. We aimed to examine whether the nature and number of trauma(s) experienced may be related to physical conditions using a population-based sample. METHODS Data came from Wave 2 of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (N=34,653; age 20 years and older). Participants indicated lifetime trauma experiences and physical conditions experienced over the past year. Multiple logistic regressions examined the association between type and number of trauma(s) and physical conditions. RESULTS After adjusting for sociodemographics, Axis I and II mental disorders, and all other trauma, injurious and witnessing trauma were significantly associated with all the assessed physical conditions. Psychological trauma was associated with cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases, diabetes and arthritis. Natural disaster/terrorism was associated with cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal disease and arthritis only. Finally, combat-related trauma and other trauma were not positively associated with any physical condition. Our results also suggested a dose-response relationship between number of traumatic events and physical conditions. CONCLUSION These data suggest that the impact of certain types and number of traumas may differ with respect to their relationship with physical health problems independent of PTSD.

A longitudinal examination of anxiety disorders and physical health conditions in a nationally representative sample of U.S. older adults

BACKGROUND There has been growing interest in the relation between anxiety disorders and physical conditions in the general adult population. However, little is known about the nature of this association in older adults. Understanding the complex relationship between these disorders can help to inform prevention and treatment strategies unique to this rapidly growing segment of the population. METHODS A total of 10,409 U.S. adults aged 55+ participated in Wave 1 (2001-2002) and Wave 2 (2004-2005) of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC). Lifetime and past-year DSM-IV anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders, and lifetime personality disorders, were assessed in both waves. Participants self-reported on whether they had been diagnosed by a healthcare professional with a broad range of physical health conditions; this study focuses on cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal disease, and arthritis. Multivariable logistic regressions adjusted for sociodemographics, comorbid mental disorders, and number of physical health conditions assessed: (1) the relation between past-year physical conditions at Wave 1 and incident past-year anxiety disorders at Wave 2 and; (2) the relation between individual lifetime anxiety disorders at Wave 1 and incident physical conditions at Wave 2. A second set of adjusted multinomial logistic regressions examined Wave 1 sociodemographic and physical and mental health risk factors associated with incident physical condition alone, anxiety disorder alone, and comorbid anxiety and physical condition at Wave 2. RESULTS Past-year arthritis at Wave 1 was significantly associated with increased odds of incident generalized anxiety disorder at Wave 2. Further, any lifetime anxiety disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder at Wave 1 were significantly associated with increased odds of incident gastrointestinal disease at Wave 2. Differential sociodemographic and physical and mental health predictors were significantly associated with increased odds of incident comorbid anxiety disorder and physical conditions. CONCLUSION Results of the current study elucidate the longitudinal bidirectional relationships between anxiety disorders and physical health conditions in a large, nationally representative sample of older adults. These results have important implications for identifying at risk older adults, which will not only impact this growing segment of the population directly, but will also potentially lessen burden on the healthcare system as a whole.

Assessing the validity of social anxiety disorder subtypes using a nationally representative sample.

The purpose of this study was to examine and validate social anxiety disorder subtypes using the nationally representative National Comorbidity Survey Replication (N=9282). Generalized and non-generalized subtypes were defined as fearing at least 8 (i.e., most) and fewer than 7 of 14 possible social situations, respectively, following the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR). Results indicated that in those with social anxiety disorder, the odds of having comorbid major depression, a comorbid anxiety disorder, and suicidal ideation were significantly greater in the generalized subtype. However, differences were no longer significant when adjusting for the number of feared social situations. Results further indicated that the number of feared social situations was significantly associated with comorbid major depression, a comorbid anxiety disorder, and suicidal ideation. These findings call into question the validity of DSM-IV-defined subtypes and provide additional support for the notion that clinicians and researchers should consider viewing this disorder on a single continuum with greater number of feared situations associated with greater clinical severity.

Psychological Sequelae of Surgery in a Prospective Cohort of Patients from Three Intraoperative Awareness Prevention Trials

BACKGROUND:Elective surgery can have long-term psychological sequelae, especially for patients who experience intraoperative awareness. However, risk factors, other than awareness, for symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after surgery are poorly defined, and practical screening methods have not been applied to a broad population of surgical patients. METHODS:The Psychological Sequelae of Surgery study was a prospective cohort study of patients previously enrolled in the United States and Canada in 3 trials for the prevention of intraoperative awareness. The 68 patients who experienced definite or possible awareness were matched with 418 patients who denied awareness based on age, sex, surgery type, and awareness risk. Participants completed the PTSD Checklist-Specific (PCL-S) and/or a modified Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview telephone assessment to identify symptoms of PTSD and symptom complexes consistent with a PTSD diagnosis. We then used structural equation modeling to produce a composite PTSD score and examined potential risk factors. RESULTS:One hundred forty patients were unreachable; of those contacted, 303 (88%) participated a median of 2 years postoperatively. Forty-four of the 219 patients (20.1%) who completed the PCL-S exceeded the civilian screening cutoff score for PTSD symptoms resulting from their surgery (15 of 35 [43%] with awareness and 29 of 184 [16%] without). Nineteen patients (8.7%; 5 of 35 [14%] with awareness and 14 of 184 [7.6%] without) both exceeded the cutoff and endorsed a breadth of symptoms consistent with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Fourth Edition diagnosis of PTSD attributable to their surgery. Factors independently associated with PTSD symptoms were poor social support, previous PTSD symptoms, previous mental health treatment, dissociation related to surgery, perceiving that one’s life was threatened during surgery, and intraoperative awareness (all P ⩽ 0.017). Perioperative dissociation was identified as a potential mediator for perioperative PTSD symptoms. CONCLUSIONS:Events in the perioperative period can precipitate psychological symptoms consistent with subsyndromal and syndromal PTSD. We not only confirmed the high rate of postoperative PTSD in awareness patients but also identified a significant rate in matched nonawareness controls. Screening surgical patients, especially those with potentially mediating risk factors such as intraoperative awareness or perioperative dissociation, for postoperative PTSD symptoms with the PCL-S is practical and could promote early referral, evaluation, and treatment.

Increased incidence of psychiatric disorders in immune-mediated inflammatory disease

OBJECTIVE Although psychiatric comorbidity is known to be more prevalent in immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMID) than in the general population, the incidence of psychiatric comorbidity in IMID is less understood, yet incidence is more relevant for understanding etiology. METHODS Using population-based administrative (health) data, we conducted a retrospective cohort study over the period 1989-2012 in Manitoba, Canada. We identified 19,572 incident cases of IMID including 6119 persons with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), 3514 persons with multiple sclerosis (MS), 10,206 persons with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and 97,727 age-, sex- and geographically-matched controls. After applying validated case definitions, we estimated the incidence of depression, anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia in each of the study cohorts. Using negative binomial regression models, we tested whether the incidence rate of psychiatric comorbidity was elevated in the individual and combined IMID cohorts versus the matched cohorts, adjusting for sex, age, region of residence, socioeconomic status and year. RESULTS The relative incidence of depression (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 1.71; 95%CI: 1.64-1.79), anxiety (IRR 1.34; 95%CI: 1.29-1.40), bipolar disorder (IRR 1.68; 95%CI: 1.52-1.85) and schizophrenia (IRR 1.32; 95%CI: 1.03-1.69) were elevated in the IMID cohort. Depression and anxiety affected the MS population more often than the IBD and RA populations. CONCLUSIONS Individuals with IMID, including IBD, MS and RA are at increased risk of psychiatric comorbidity. This increased risk appears non-specific as it is seen for all three IMIDs and for all psychiatric disorders studied, implying a common underlying biology for psychiatric comorbidity in those with IMID.