Cortisol, oxytocin, and quality of life in major depressive disorder

Abstract

Purpose Purpose: Quality of life (QoL) is greatly impaired in major depressive disorder (MDD). These impairments are not fully accounted for by symptom severity, may persist beyond depressive episodes, and are a risk factor for poor outcomes. MDD is often associated with prominent neuroendocrine changes and increased risk of chronic disease. However, there is a lack of research examining whether biological factors are related to QoL in MDD. This research examined relationships between cortisol, oxytocin, symptom severity, and QoL in MDD. Methods Methods: Sixty adults meeting DSM-5 criteria for MDD and 60 healthy controls provided morning plasma samples which were analysed for cortisol and oxytocin levels, and completed measures of QoL and psychopathology. Results Results: Participants with MDD had lower QoL than controls. Cortisol correlated negatively with overall QoL and all QoL domains. Oxytocin correlated positively with overall QoL, and Psychological and Social-Relationships domains. Additionally, cortisol levels were inversely related to psychological QoL, and oxytocin was positively related to social QoL, after controlling for symptom severity and demographic variables. Conclusions Conclusions: This study provides novel evidence linking neuroendocrine pathways to particular domains of QoL in MDD. The results indicate that activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is linked to poor psychological QoL, and that oxytocin is important to social QoL, independently of severity of psychopathology. Biopsychosocial approaches to QoL associated with mental health conditions may lead to greater understanding of the underlying mechanisms and to improved, tailored interventions.

Factors Associated With Depressive Episode Recurrences in Primary Care: A Retrospective, Descriptive Study

“…Approximately 20% of all depressed patients develop a chronic course (Kessler et al, 2003). Untreated depression is associated with a decreased quality of life (Gao et al, 2019;Tang et al, 2019;Knight et al, 2020), increased suicide risk (four times more than the general population), and progressively worse health when associated with chronic physical illnesses, etc (Moussavi et al, 2007;Daly et al, 2010). Comorbidity with other chronic conditions (diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer, among others) is high (Cassano and Fava, 2002;Katon, 2003;O'Neil et al, 2015;Read et al, 2017;Zhang et al, 2018) as is the case with other psychiatric diseases such as anxiety disorders (40 to 66%) (Aragonès et al, 2004).…”

Cognitive Distortions in Relation to Plasma Cortisol and Oxytocin Levels in Major Depressive Disorder

“…The data were collected as part of a larger study of MDD, and the protocol as well as mean cortisol, oxytocin, and demographic data for this cohort have previously been reported in the context of help-seeking (37) and quality of life (38). This study was conducted in accordance with the recommendations of the Australian National Statement for the Ethical Conduct of Research.…”

Health-Related Quality of Life in Male Patients under Treatment for Substance Use Disorders with and without Major Depressive Disorder: Influence in Clinical Course at One-Year Follow-Up

“…If the most prevalent diagnoses of severe mental disorder in patients with dual disorders are considered, it is found that major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most frequently diagnosed conditions [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. MDD is also associated with a worse quality of life [ 23 , 24 , 25 ]. MDD patients show worse HRQoL compared to the normal population, highlighting their low scores in the domains of social functioning [ 25 , 26 , 27 ], vitality, mental health, and emotional role [ 27 , 28 , 29 ].…”