Anxiety, depression, and comorbid anxiety and depression: risk factors and outcome over two years.
BACKGROUND
This study aimed to determine: (1) the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and depression associated with anxiety (DA); (2) the risk factor profile of depression, anxiety, and DA; (3) the course of depression, anxiety, and DA over 24 months.


METHODS
Two-year longitudinal study of 20,036 adults aged 60+ years. We used the Patient Health Questionnaire and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale anxiety subscale to establish the presence of depression and anxiety, and standard procedures to collect demographic, lifestyle, psychosocial, and clinical data.


RESULTS
The prevalence of anxiety, depression, and DA was 4.7%, 1.4%, and 1.8%. About 57% of depression cases showed evidence of comorbid anxiety, while only 28% of those with clinically significant anxiety had concurrent depression. There was not only an overlap in the distribution of risk factors in these diagnostic groups but also differences. We found that 31%, 23%, and 35% of older adults with anxiety, depression, and DA showed persistence of symptoms after two years. Repeated anxiety was more common in women and repeated depression in men. Socioeconomic stressors were common in repeated DA.


CONCLUSIONS
Clinically significant anxiety and depression are distinct conditions that frequently coexist in later life; when they appear together, older adults endure a more chronic course of illness.
School of Psychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Perth, WA, Australia. osvaldo.almeida@uwa.edu.au
Osvaldo P
OP
Almeida
Brian
B
Draper
Jane
J
Pirkis
John
J
Snowdon
Nicola T
NT
Lautenschlager
Gerard
G
Byrne
Moira
M
Sim
Nigel
N
Stocks
Ngaire
N
Kerse
Leon
L
Flicker
Jon J
JJ
Pfaff
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires