Major Depression Is Highly Prevalent in US Adults

Major depressive disorder (MDD), as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), is highly prevalent among adults in the United States, a recent study found.

For their study, the researchers assessed data on 36,309 respondents of the 2012-2013 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions III (NESARC-III).
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Results showed that the 12-month and lifetime prevalence of MDD in this cohort was 10.4% and 20.6%, respectively. The majority of lifetime MDD cases were moderate (39.7%) or severe (49.5%), and almost 70% of those with lifetime MDD received some form of treatment.

The likelihood of 12-month MDD was significantly lower in men (odds ratio [OR] 0.5) and in African American (OR 0.6), Asian/Pacific Islander (OR 0.6), and Hispanic (OR 0.7) adults compared with white adults, as well as in younger adults (18 to 29 years; OR 3.0) and individuals with low incomes ($19,999 or less; OR 1.7).

The researchers also found that the associations between MDD and psychiatric disorders ranged from an adjusted OR of 2.1 for specific phobia to 5.7 for generalized anxiety disorder, while associations between MDD and substance use disorders ranged from an adjusted OR of 1.8 for alcohol to 3.0 for any drug.

Notably, 74.6% and 15.5% of MDD cases were characterized by the anxious/distressed specifier and the mixed-features specifier, respectively.

“Among US adults, DSM-5 MDD is highly prevalent, comorbid, and disabling,” the researchers concluded. “While most cases received some treatment, a substantial minority did not. Much remains to be learned about the DSM-5 MDD specifiers in the general population.”

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

Hasin D, Sarvet AL, Meyers JL, et al. Epidemiology of adult DSM-5 major depressive disorder and its specifiers in the United States [Published online February 14, 2018]. JAMA Psychiatry. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2017.4602.