Mixed anxiety-depression in a 1 year follow-up study: shift to other diagnoses or remission?
BACKGROUND
In 1992, the ICD-10 introduced the concept of mixed anxiety-depression disorder (MAD). However, a study examining the stability of this ICD-10-diagnosis is lacking. Our objective was to examine the 12 month outcome of MAD in comparison to the outcome of depression, anxiety, and comorbid depression and anxiety.


METHODS
85 MAD patients, 496 patients with major depression, 296 patients with anxiety disorders, and 306 comorbid patients were reassessed after 12 months. Rates of depression, anxiety, and MAD were compared using chi(2)-tests.


RESULTS
While depressive disorders and anxiety disorders showed relatively high stability, MAD Patients had no higher rates of MAD at follow-up than patients with depression, anxiety or both.


CONCLUSIONS
Detailed information regarding treatment and disorders during the follow-up interval was lacking. Prevalence rates of MAD in single centres were too small for contrasting centres.


CONCLUSIONS
MAD cannot be seen as a stable diagnosis: Most of MAD patients remit; many of them shift to other diagnoses than depression or anxiety. The ICD-10 criteria have to be specified more exactly.
Barkow
Katrin
K
Department of Psychiatry, University of Bonn, Germany. katrin.barkow@ukb.uni-bonn.de
Heun
Reinhard
R
Wittchen
Hans-Ulrich
HU
Bedirhan Ustün
T
T
Gänsicke
Michael
M
Maier
Wolfgang
W
D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales