Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) Flashcards
What is major depressive disorder?
low mood, characterized by feelings of sadness, emptiness or irritability and accompanied by other somatic or cognitive changes that significantly affect the individuals capacity to function
How much does genetics come in to play for MDD?
twin studies show 40-50% heritability
what is the monoamine hypothesis of MDD?
dysfunction in monoamine production
dysregulation in monoamine activity
what are monoamines?
serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine
What is the neuroplasticity hypothesis of MDD?
downstream effects lead to altered cell growth and adaptation leading to lower levels of BDNF
What is BDNF?
brain derived neurotrophic factor: growth factor that regulates survival of neurons, important for structural integrity and neuroplasticity
According to the neuroplasticity hypothesis, which drugs are needed to help depression?
drugs that restore balance to glutamate/GABA
How might endocrine and immune system abnormalities cause depression?
increased plasma cortisol, increased peripheral cytokine concentrations
chronic stress model – involves the HPA axis
how might structural and functional alterations in brain regions involving emotional processing cause depression?
reduced volume or hyperactivity in prefrontal cortex, cingulate cortex, hippocampus, amygdala
What percent do personality disorders play a role in depression?
30%
What amount of people with depression have other medical comorbidities?
85%
What are the emotional, neurovegetative and neurocognitive symptoms of depression according to the DSM?
emotional:
depressed mood
anhedonia
feelings of worthlessness or guilt
suicidal ideation, plan or attempt
neurovegetative:
fatigue or loss of energy
sleep increase or decrease
weight or appetite increase or decrease
neurocognitive:
decreased ability to think or concentrate or indecisiveness
psychomotor retardation or agitation
How many symptoms of depression according to the DSM-5 are needed to be considered severe?
nearly all symptoms, significant functional impairment or motor impairment
What criteria must be met to be diagnosed with depression according to the DSM-5?
(A) at least 5 symptoms, at least 1 symptom must be depressed mood or anhedonia; present nearly every day for at least a 2 week period
(B) symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other areas of functioning
(C) episode is not attributable to direct physiologic effects of a substance of another medication
(D) MDD is not better explained by a different mental illness
(E) there has never been a manic or hypomanic episode
What does SIG: E. CAPS stand for?
symptoms of depression:
Sleep changes: increase during day or decreased sleep at night
Interest (loss): of interest in activities that used to interest them
Guilt (worthless): depressed elderly tend to devalue themselves
Energy (lack): common presenting symptoms (fatigue)
Cognition/concentration: reduced cognition and/or difficulty concentration
Appetite (wt. loss); usually declined, occasionally increased
Psychomotor: agitation (anxiety) or retardations (lethargic)
Suicide/death preocp.
What is MDD with anxious distress?
MDD diagnosis PLUS 2+ of: tension, worried, restlessness, afraid of losing control, impaired concentration
not a full anxiety diagnosis
What is MDD with mixed features?
subthreshold mania/hypomania
MDD diagnosis PLUS 3+ symptoms of mania most days
What is MDD with catatonic features?
MDD diagnosis PLUS 2+ of: catalepsy, excessive purposeless motor activity, extreme negativism, peculiar voluntary movements, echopraxia
What is MDD with melancholic features?
Severe form of depression
MDD diagnosis PLUS 3+ of: nonreactive “empty” mood, increase morning severity, early morning awakening, psychomotor agitation or retardation, significant weight loss, excessive guilt
What is MDD with atypical features?
MDD diagnosis with reactive mood, oversleeping, overeating, leaden paralysis, sensitive to rejection
What is Peripartum onset depression?
MDD during pregnancy or within 4 weeks postpartum
What is MDD with psychotic symptoms?
MDD diagnosis with delusions or hallucinations
What is dysthymia?
Persistent depressive disorder
depressive mood for 2 or more years with symptoms free period no greater than 2 months
2+ additional depressive symptoms (not full criteria for MDD)
no MDD episode in first 2 years of onset – depressive episodes can be superimposed after
What is substance/medication induced depressive episode?
prominent, persistent disturbance in mood predominates the clinical picture with diminished interest in almost all activities
symptoms develop or shortly after substance intoxication or withdrawal and the substance is known to cause disturbance
How do you rule out Bipolar depression when diagnosing MDD?
completely mood disorders questionnaire to rule out history of mania/hypomania
How to rule out anxiety when diagnosing MDD?
complete GAD-7
may co-occur with MDD
What is part of the differential diagnosis of MDD?
Bipolar depression
anxiety (no co-occur)
substance use disorder (may co-occur)
another medical condition
grief
PMS
irritable or labile emotions
feeling sad
What prescription medications might cause depression?
CV agents: clonidine, methyldopa, reserpine
anticonvulsants: phenobarbital, topiramate, vigabatrin
hormonal agents: corticosteroids, GnRH agonists, tamoxifen
immunologic: IFN alpha
other: benzos, BB (?), opioids, anti-thyroid
which standardized rating scales for MDD can be completed by the patient?
PHQ-9, QIDS, Beck depression inventory
Which standardized rating scales for MDD are administered by a physician?
QIDS (also a self administered version), HAM-D, MADRS
What questions are on PHQ-9?
- little interest or pleasure in doing things
- feeling down, depressed, or hopeless
- trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleeping too much
- feeling tired or having little energy
- poor appetite or overeating
- feeling bad about yourself - or that you are a failure or have let yourself or your family down
- trouble concentrating on things, such as reading the newspaper or watching TV
- moving or speaking so slowly that other people could have noticed? or the opposite - being so fidgety or restless that you have been moving around a lot more than usual
- thoughts that you would be better off dead or hurting yourself in some way
What does your PHQ-9 score mean?
20-27 = severe
15-19 = moderately severe
10-14 = moderate
5-9 = minimal
<5 = no symptoms
what improvement in PHQ-9 score is considered a response to treatment? what is considered remission?
Response = 50% or more reduction in score
remission = score 5 or lower
What questions are on the PHQ-2?
- little interest or pleasure in doing things
- feeling down, depressed or hopeless
What is considered a positive score for the PHQ-2
3+
what is the lifetime risk of suicide in untreated MDD?
20%
what are suicide risk factors?
IS PATH WARM
Ideation
Substance use
Purposelessness
Anxiety
Trapped (feelings of no way out)
Hopelessness
Withdrawal
Anger
Recklessness
Mood changes (dramatic)
What is the response rate to antidepressants vs response to placebo?
40-60% to antidepressants; 30-50% to placebo
T or F
response/remission declines with each subsequent treatment trial
True
what percentage of people will experience a recurrance?
25-40% in 2 years, 50-80% have more than one episode in lifetime
What is considered a partial remission?
continued presence of some symptoms but full criteria not met
What is the difference between remission and recovery?
full remission is the absence of significant symptoms and recovery is full remission for at least 2 months
what is the difference between a relapse and a recurrance?
a relapse is a new episode before recovery, and a recurrence is new episode any time after achieving recovery
What is considered chronic depression?
full criteria for MDD met for a minimum of 2 years
What is considered to be treatment resistance?
episode that has failed to response to 2 separate trials of different antidepressants of adequate dose and duration
What are some predictors of remission?
female sex, white race, employment, higher level of education, higher income
what is the goal of acute treatment?
symptom remission and restoration of premorbid functioning within 8-12 weeks
prevent hard ongoing
restore optimal functioning within 8-12 weeks
what HAM-D scores are considered remission? response?
remission: HAM-D score 7 or less
response: HAM-D 50% or more reduced from baseline
What is the goal with maintenance treatment of MDD?
prevent recurrences of mood episode
What are some non pharm treatments of MDD?
positive lifestyle changes
natural products
psychological treatment
neurostimulation
physical interventions: acupuncture, massage, yoga
bright light therapy
music therapy
spiritual care
vagal nerve stimulation
What is St. John’s Worts MOA in MDD?
weak non selective MAO, inhibits 5-HT, NE, DA transporter
What is St. John’s Wort used for?
monotherapy for mild to moderate depression symptoms
what are some AE’s of St. John’s Wort?
GI upset, sexual dysfunction, photosensitivity
increases risk of serotonin syndrome, bleeding
lots of drug interactions
What is S-Adenosyl Methionine used for?
adjunct for mild-moderate symptoms
What are some AE’s of S-Adenosyl-Methionine?
GI upset, flatulence, dry mouth
how might omega-3 fatty acids work in depression?
3-PUFA deficiency has been shown to be associated with depression
What is Omega-3 fatty acids used for?
monotherapy or adjunct to antidepressants
What is Folate L-methylfolate used for?
adjunct for antidepressants
When is psychological treatment used as monotherapy?
mild depression
What severity of depression is psychological treatment recommended in?
All
T or F
Psychological treatment is not found to be as successful as antidepressants in treating depression
False
What is transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)?
magnetic fields are used to stimulate nerve cells in regions of the brain involved in mood regulation and depression
What is TMS used for?
refractory depression
How long is the course of TMS treatment?
4-6 weeks
What are some AE’s of TMS?
headache, scalp discomfort
what is electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)?
electrodes placed on various scalp regions
electrical charge is applied to stimulate the brain and produce a seizure while patient under general anesthetic
seizure lasts 1 minute
what is ECT used for?
severe depression, depression with psychosis or catatonic features, severe SI
how long is the course of ECT treatment?
6-12 treatments
what medications should be minimized/avoided during ECT treatment?
anticonvulsant medications
benzos
lithium
buproprion
what are some AE’s of ECT?
confusion during post-ictal period
impaired memory after procedure
headache
muscle ache
What are the two landmark papers on MDD?
Cipriani network meta-analysis
STAR*D
what did the Cipriani show?
no strong evidence to conclude that any antidepressant is superior in efficacy
which antidepressants do meta-analyses show have the best efficacy/tolerability profile?
sertraline, escitalopram, vortioxetine, venlafaxine, mirtazapine
what did the STAR*D trial show?
no difference in remission rates or times to remission:
between medication strategies (switch or augmentation) at any treatment level
between any of the switching options between any of the augmenting options in step 2-4
between switch to CT vs meds or augment with CT vs meds
longer time to remission, greater number of treatment steps = higher relapse rates
prognosis better for those achieving remission prior to follow-up phase compared to those with adequate response without remission
no difference between remission/response between primary or psychiatric care setting
What is the success rate upon first treatment of antidepressants?
30% remission
10-15% show no response
what is the symptom response rate across all antidepressant trials?
40-60%
According to CANMAT, what is the 2nd line intervention to no response to antidepressants?
switch to alternate antidepressant
TMS
ECT
light therapy
omega-3
according to CANMAT, what is the 2nd line intervention to partial response to antidepressants?
augment with 1st line adjunct (aripiprazole, quetiapine, risperidone)
adjunctive exercise
light therapy, yoga, SAMe
adjunct St. John’s Wort, omega-3
According to CANMAT what are 3rd line interventions (AKA treatment resistance)?
augment with other AD or different med: brexpiprazole, buproprion, lithium, mirtazapine, modafinil, olanzapine, triiodothyronine, TCAs, MAOIs, ketamine
neurostimulation mono treatment or augmentation
adjunctive acupuncture
what are the patient factors to take into account while selection an antidepressant?
clinical features and dimensions
comorbid conditions
response and side effects during previous use of antidepressants
patient perference
according to CANMAT what are the first line antidepressants?
SSRIs: sertraline, escitalopram, fluoxetine, citalopram, paroxetine
SNRIs: duloxetine, venlafaxine
Mirtazapine
Buproprion
how many remit after first treatment? second? fourth?
1 = 1/2
2 = 1/3
4 = 2/3
what is the MOA of SSRIs?
inhibition of presynaptic 5-HT reuptake by inhibition of the 5-HT transporter CNS neurons (reuptake inhibition/transporter inhibition) = increased 5-HT in synaptic cleft
What is the onset of action of SSRIs?
1st few days: decrease agitation and anxiety, improved sleep and appetite
1-3 weeks: increased activity and sex drive, improved self-care, concentration, memory, thinking, movements
2-4 weeks: relief of depressed mood, return of experiencing pleasure, fewer hopeless feelings, subsiding suicidal thoughts
what are some AEs of SSRIs?
HANDS:
Headache
Anxiety
Nausea
Diarrhea and other GI upset
Sleep disturbances: insomnia or sedation
anticholinergic: dry mouth, constipation, blurred vision
sexual dysfunction
emotional blunting/detachment
tremor, yawning, sweating, enuresis
What is SIADH?
syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion
body makes too much antidiuretic hormone (vasopressin)
causes body to retain too much water
What are some causes of SIADH?
pain, vomiting, CNS injury, inflammation, lung injury, carbamazepine, opioids, SSRIs, NSAIDs, SNRIs, mirtazapine
what are the s/sx’s of SIADH?
lethargy, change in mental status, Na <135 mEq/L, hyperosmolar urine (>300 mosmol/kg)
what is the management of SIADH?
usually inpatient care, d/c offending agent, water restrictions
what are some precautions with SSRIs?
increased risk of suicide in children, adolescents, and young adults <24 years old
increased fracture risk and decreased bone mineral density (especially elderly)
citalopram, escitalopram have dose dependent risk of QTc prolongation
which SSRIs seem to be most sedating?
mild sedation: sertraline and citalopram
most: paroxetine
Which SSRI has the most weight gain?
paroxetine
which SSRI is the most stimulating?
fluoxetine