People with severe mental illness (SMI) -schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder -appear at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), but a comprehensive meta-analysis is lacking. We conducted a large-scale meta-analysis assessing the prevalence and incidence of CVD; coronary heart disease; stroke, transient ischemic attack or cerebrovascular disease; congestive heart failure; peripheral vascular disease; and CVD-related death in SMI patients (N53,211,768) versus controls (N5113,383,368) (92 studies). The pooled CVD prevalence in SMI patients (mean age 50 years) was 9.9% (95% CI: 7.4-13.3). Adjusting for a median of seven confounders, patients had significantly higher odds of CVD versus controls in cross-sectional studies (odds ratio, OR51.53, 95% CI: 1.27-1.83; 11 studies), and higher odds of coronary heart disease (OR51.51, 95% CI: 1.47-1.55) and cerebrovascular disease (OR51.42, 95% CI: 1.21-1.66). People with major depressive disorder were at increased risk for coronary heart disease, while those with schizophrenia were at increased risk for coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and congestive heart failure. Cumulative CVD incidence in SMI patients was 3.6% (95% CI: 2.7-5.3) during a median follow-up of 8.4 years (range 1.8-30.0). Adjusting for a median of six confounders, SMI patients had significantly higher CVD incidence than controls in longitudinal studies (hazard ratio, HR51.78, 95% CI: 1.60-1.98; 31 studies). The incidence was also higher for coronary heart disease (HR51.54, 95% CI: 1.30-1.82), cerebrovascular disease (HR51.64, 95% CI: 1.26-2.14), congestive heart failure (HR52.10, 95% CI: 1.64-2.70), and CVDrelated death (HR51.85, 95% CI: 1.53-2.24). People with major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia were all at increased risk of CVD-related death versus controls. CVD incidence increased with antipsychotic use (p50.008), higher body mass index (p50.008) and higher baseline CVD prevalence (p50.03) in patients vs. controls. Moreover, CVD prevalence (p50.007), but not CVD incidence (p50.21), increased in more recently conducted studies. This large-scale meta-analysis confirms that SMI patients have significantly increased risk of CVD and CVD-related mortality, and that elevated body mass index, antipsychotic use, and CVD screening and management require urgent clinical attention.Key words: Cardiovascular disease, severe mental illness, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, congestive heart failure, premature mortality (World Psychiatry 2017;16:163-180) People with severe mental illness (SMI) -including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and their related spectrum disorders -have a life expectancy shortened of 10-17.5 years compared to the general population 1,2 . While suicide explains some of this reduced life expectancy 3 , it is now established that physical diseases account for the overwhelming majority of premature mortality 4,5 . Among physical conditions, c...

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is common among cancer patients, with prevalence rates up to four-times higher than the general population. Depression confers worse outcomes, including non-adherence to treatment and increased mortality in the oncology setting. Advances in the understanding of neurobiological underpinnings of depression have revealed shared biobehavioral mechanisms may contribute to cancer progression. Moreover, psychosocial stressors in cancer promote:(1) inflammation and oxidative/nitrosative stress; (2) a decreased immunosurveillance; and (3) a dysfunctional activation of the autonomic nervous system and of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Consequently, the prompt recognition of depression among patients with cancer who may benefit of treatment strategies targeting depressive symptoms, cognitive dysfunction, fatigue and sleep disturbances, is a public health priority. Moreover, behavioral strategies aiming at reducing psychological distress and depressive symptoms, including addressing unhealthy diet and life-style choices, as well as physical inactivity and sleep dysfunction, may represent important strategies not only to treat depression, but also to improve wider cancer-related outcomes. Herein, we provide a comprehensive review of the intertwined biobehavioural pathways linking depression to cancer progression. In addition, the clinical implications of these findings are critically reviewed.

The development of depression may involve a complex interplay of environmental and genetic risk factors. PubMed and PsycInfo databases were searched from inception through August 3, 2017, to identify meta-analyses and Mendelian randomization (MR) studies of environmental risk factors associated with depression. For each eligible meta-analysis, we estimated the summary effect size and its 95% confidence interval (CI) by random-effects modeling, the 95% prediction interval, heterogeneity with I, and evidence of small-study effects and excess significance bias. Seventy meta-analytic reviews met the eligibility criteria and provided 134 meta-analyses for associations from 1283 primary studies. While 109 associations were nominally significant (P < 0.05), only 8 met the criteria for convincing evidence and, when limited to prospective studies, convincing evidence was found in 6 (widowhood, physical abuse during childhood, obesity, having 4-5 metabolic risk factors, sexual dysfunction, job strain). In studies in which depression was assessed through a structured diagnostic interview, only associations with widowhood, job strain, and being a Gulf War veteran were supported by convincing evidence. Additionally, 8 MR studies were included and provided no consistent evidence for the causal effects of obesity, smoking, and alcohol consumption. The proportion of variance explained by genetic risk factors was extremely small (0.1-0.4%), which limited the evidence provided by the MR studies. Our findings suggest that despite the large number of putative risk factors investigated in the literature, few associations were supported by robust evidence. The current findings may have clinical and research implications for the early identification of individuals at risk for depression.

BackgroundCognitive dysfunction in major depressive disorder (MDD) encompasses several domains, including but not limited to executive function, verbal memory, and attention. Furthermore, cognitive dysfunction is a frequent residual manifestation in depression and may persist during the remitted phase. Cognitive deficits may also impede functional recovery, including workforce performance, in patients with MDD. The overarching aims of this opinion article are to critically evaluate the effects of available antidepressants as well as novel therapeutic targets on neurocognitive dysfunction in MDD.DiscussionConventional antidepressant drugs mitigate cognitive dysfunction in some people with MDD. However, a significant proportion of MDD patients continue to experience significant cognitive impairment. Two multicenter randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reported that vortioxetine, a multimodal antidepressant, has significant precognitive effects in MDD unrelated to mood improvement. Lisdexamfetamine dimesylate was shown to alleviate executive dysfunction in an RCT of adults after full or partial remission of MDD. Preliminary evidence also indicates that erythropoietin may alleviate cognitive dysfunction in MDD. Several other novel agents may be repurposed as cognitive enhancers for MDD treatment, including minocycline, insulin, antidiabetic agents, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, S-adenosyl methionine, acetyl-L-carnitine, alpha lipoic acid, omega-3 fatty acids, melatonin, modafinil, galantamine, scopolamine, N-acetylcysteine, curcumin, statins, and coenzyme Q10.SummaryThe management of cognitive dysfunction remains an unmet need in the treatment of MDD. However, it is hoped that the development of novel therapeutic targets will contribute to ‘cognitive remission’, which may aid functional recovery in MDD.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a prevalent and recurring mental disorder often associated with high rates of non-recovery and substantial consequences on psychosocial outcome. Cognitive impairment is one of the most frequent residual symptoms of MDD. The persistence of cognitive impairment even in remitted phases of the disorder, notably in the domains of executive function and attention, suggests that it may serve as a mediational nexus between MDD and poor functional outcome, accounting for occupational and relational difficulties regardless of clinical improvement on depressive symptoms. The critical impact of cognitive deficits on psychosocial dysfunction invites clinicians to regularly screen and assess cognition across multiple domains, taking into account also clinical correlates of cognitive dysfunction in MDD. Despite the availability of several instruments for the screening and assessment of cognitive dysfunction, the lack of consensus guiding the choice of appropriate instruments increases the likelihood to underestimate cognitive dysfunction in MDD in clinical settings. On the other hand, the unsatisfactory effect of most antidepressant treatments on cognitive deficits for many individuals with MDD calls for the development of genuinely novel therapeutic agents with potential to target cognitive dysfunction. Notwithstanding the necessity of further investigations, this review indicates that neuropsychological deficits (e.g., impaired executive functions) are stable markers of MDD and underscores the need for the development of integrative and multi-modal strategies for the prevention and treatment of neuropsychological impairments in MDD.