title: Italian patients with more recent onset of Major Depressive Disorder have a shorter duration of untreated illness.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous investigation on the duration of untreated illness (DUI) in patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) revealed a different latency to first antidepressant treatment, with adverse consequences in terms of outcome for individuals with a longer DUI. Recent reports, moreover, documented a reduced DUI, as observed with the passage of time, in patients with different psychiatric disorders. Hence, the present study was aimed to assess DUI and related variables in a sample of Italian patients with MDD as well as to investigate potential differences in subjects with onset before and after 2000.
  
  
  METHODS
  An overall sample of 188 patients with MDD was assessed through a specific questionnaire investigating DUI and other variables related to the psychopathological onset and latency to first antidepressant treatment, after dividing them in two different subgroups on the basis of their epoch of onset.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The whole sample showed a mean DUI of approximately 4.5 years, with patients with more recent onset showing a significantly shorter latency to treatment compared with the other group (27.1±42.6 vs 75.8±105.2 months, P<.05). Other significant differences emerged between the two subgroups, in terms of rates of onset-related stressful events and benzodiazepine prescription, respectively, higher and lower in patients with more recent onset.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings indicate a significant DUI reduction in MDD patients whose onset occurred after vs before 2000, along with other relevant differences in terms of onset-related correlates and first pharmacotherapy. Further studies with larger samples are warranted to confirm the present findings in Italy and other countries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Milan, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.|Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Bipolar Disorders Clinic, Stanford Medical School, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Bernardo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dell'Osso
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Milan, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cremaschi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Milan, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Benedetta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Grancini
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Milan, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Cagna
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Milan, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Beatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Benatti
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Milan, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Camuri
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Milan, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Arici
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Milan, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dobrea
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Milan, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Lucio
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Oldani
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Milan, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Carlotta
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Palazzo
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Milan, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vismara
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Milan, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: A Carlo
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Altamura
mesh_terms: D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009313:National Health Programs; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D061665:Time-to-Treatment
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents
keywords: Major Depressive Disorder; duration of untreated illness (DUI); epoch of onset