title: Gender differences in depressive symptom profiles and patterns of psychotropic drug usage in Asian patients with depression: Findings from the Research on Asian Psychotropic Prescription Patterns for Antidepressants study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there were gender-specific depressive symptom profiles or gender-specific patterns of psychotropic agent usage in Asian patients with depression.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical data from the Research on Asian Psychotropic Prescription Patterns for Antidepressant study (1171 depressed patients) were used to determine gender differences by analysis of covariates for continuous variables and by logistic regression analysis for discrete variables. In addition, a binary logistic regression model was fitted to identify independent clinical correlates of the gender-specific pattern on psychotropic drug usage.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Men were more likely than women to have loss of interest (adjusted odds ratio = 1.379, p = 0.009), fatigue (adjusted odds ratio = 1.298, p = 0.033) and concurrent substance abuse (adjusted odds ratio = 3.793, p = 0.008), but gender differences in other symptom profiles and clinical features were not significant. Men were also more likely than women to be prescribed adjunctive therapy with a second-generation antipsychotic (adjusted odds ratio = 1.320, p = 0.044). However, men were less likely than women to have suicidal thoughts/acts (adjusted odds ratio = 0.724, p = 0.028). Binary logistic regression models revealed that lower age (odds ratio = 0.986, p = 0.027) and current hospitalization (odds ratio = 3.348, p < 0.0001) were independent clinical correlates of use of second-generation antipsychotics as adjunctive therapy for treating depressed Asian men.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Unique gender-specific symptom profiles and gender-specific patterns of psychotropic drug usage can be identified in Asian patients with depression. Hence, ethnic and cultural influences on the gender preponderance of depression should be considered in the clinical psychiatry of Asian patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Yong-In Mental Hospital, Yongin, South Korea Institute of Mental Health, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Seon-Cheol
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Min-Soo
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Welfare, School of Human Sciences, Seinan Gakuin University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Naotaka
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shinfuku
authors.affiliation: Association for the Improvement of Mental Health Programs, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Norman
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sartorius
authors.affiliation: Institute of Mental Health, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea Department of Psychiatry, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea Department of Psychiatry, Hanyang University Guri Hospital, Guri, South Korea hypyc@hanyang.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Yong Chon
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005221:Fatigue / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007214:Indonesia / Q000453:epidemiology; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008296:Malaysia / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012737:Sex Factors; D012846:Singapore / Q000453:epidemiology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents
keywords: Asian; Depression; depressive symptom profiles; gender; second-generation antipsychotics