Objectives: Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) do not exhibit usual mood swings and emotional reactions to difficulties in life. Patients with MDD experience specific symptoms such as decreased mood, loss of interest, and suicidal thoughts, particularly those with moderate, severe, or recurrent MDD. Depression can become a severe health condition, and MDD can lead to significant morbidity and mortality, and functional impairment. A total of 260 million people are diagnosed as having MDD worldwide, with a global prevalence of 3627 per 100,000 individuals. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 2894 patients who were interviewed at a psychiatric clinic and were diagnosed as having MDD from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2020, at Hera General Hospital, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. From the hospital’s health information system, we extracted the following data using the patient arrival report for psychiatric clinics. Results: The mean age of MDD onset was 43 years in Saudi Arabia with a peak age between 35 and 40 years and an average age between 43 and 46 years. Conclusion: The mean and peak ages of MDD onset in Saudi Arabia differ from those in other countries. Our findings can help set a screening age for depression in the Saudi population in primary healthcare centers.

Introduction: The most prevalent mental disorders which affect up to 33.7% of the population include generalized anxiety disorder, anxiety mixed with depression, panic attack, panic disorder, specific phobia, social phobia, and agoraphobia, all of which fall under the umbrella of anxiety disorder. Its prevalence has increased due to social, environmental, and political changes, and such patients are mostly treated as outpatients. Its incidence rate from 1990 to 2019 slightly increased among the people aged 20–39 and over 75 years, but its prevalence rate over the past 60 years has gradually decreased. Methods: This single-center cross-sectional study initially enrolled 2288 patients with anxiety disorders from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2020, at Hera General Hospital, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Data was extracted from the hospital’s health information system. Results: Anxiety disorders developed at an average age of 41.6 years, peak age of 39.5 years, and most frequent age of 38 years, with significant changes in the median age of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Conclusion: Anxiety disorders are the second most dysfunctional mental disorder in Saudi Arabia, with incident rate of approximately 135 cases per year with an average onset at around 41 years old at our institution.