Bottom Line: Major depressive disorder (MDD) with atypical features appears to be associated with obesity.
The features include mood reactivity where people can feel better when positive things happen in life, increased appetite or weight gain.
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Authors: Aurélie M. Lasserre, M.D., of Lausanne University Hospital, Switzerland, and colleagues.
Background: MDD has tremendous public health impact worldwide. Obesity is another burden for public health. Understanding the mechanisms underlying the association between MDD and obesity is important.
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How the Study Was Conducted: The study (which had 5.5 years of follow-up) included 3,054 residents (average age nearly 50 years) from Lausanne, Switzerland. The main outcomes were changes in body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and fat mass during follow-up.
Results: At baseline, 7.6 percent of participants met the criteria for MDD. Among the participants with MDD, about 10 percent had atypical and melancholic episodes, 14 percent had atypical episodes, 29 percent had melancholic episodes and 48 percent had unspecified episodes. MDD with atypical features was associated during the follow-up period with a higher increase in adiposity in terms of BMI, incidence of obesity and waist circumference in both sexes, as well as fat mass in men.
The study suggests the higher BMI increase in participants with MDD with atypical features also was not temporary and persisted after remission of the depressive episode.
Discussion: "For the clinician, the atypical subtype deserves particular attention because this subtype is a strong predictor of adiposity. Accordingly, the screening of atypical features and, in particular, increased appetite in individuals with depression is crucial. The prescription of appetite-stimulating medication should be avoided in these patients and dietary measures during depressive episodes with atypical features are advocated."
Source: Eurekalert
Senior Citizens Get Tech Savvy
By getting tech-savvy, senior citizens are fostering new engagements, bringing in positive change in their attitude, health, fighting depression and improving the quality of their lives.
Advertisement
How the Study Was Conducted: The study (which had 5.5 years of follow-up) included 3,054 residents (average age nearly 50 years) from Lausanne, Switzerland. The main outcomes were changes in body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and fat mass during follow-up.
Results: At baseline, 7.6 percent of participants met the criteria for MDD. Among the participants with MDD, about 10 percent had atypical and melancholic episodes, 14 percent had atypical episodes, 29 percent had melancholic episodes and 48 percent had unspecified episodes. MDD with atypical features was associated during the follow-up period with a higher increase in adiposity in terms of BMI, incidence of obesity and waist circumference in both sexes, as well as fat mass in men.
The study suggests the higher BMI increase in participants with MDD with atypical features also was not temporary and persisted after remission of the depressive episode.
Discussion: "For the clinician, the atypical subtype deserves particular attention because this subtype is a strong predictor of adiposity. Accordingly, the screening of atypical features and, in particular, increased appetite in individuals with depression is crucial. The prescription of appetite-stimulating medication should be avoided in these patients and dietary measures during depressive episodes with atypical features are advocated."
Source: Eurekalert
Depression
Depression is one of the most common mental disorders affecting approximately 340 million people in the world. No one is immune from depression - it occurs in people of all social classes, all countries and all cultural settings.
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 Holistic Management for DepressionDepression is a common disorder and many worldwide suffer from depression. Early recognition of symptoms and signs of depression can help in taking a holistic approach to the management of depression. | Advertisement
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