Quality of Life and Functioning in Comorbid Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder After Treatment With Citalopram Monotherapy

Abstract

Findings suggested that participants with MDD + PTSD are at a greater risk for severe impairment across all domains and less likely to achieve remission from MDD after treatment with citalopram monotherapy. As such, the use of patient-reported measures of QOL and functioning may inform practicing clinicians' and clinical trial researchers' abilities to develop appropriate interventions and monitor treatment efficacy. More importantly, we encourage clinicians and health care providers to routinely screen for PTSD in patients with MDD because this at-risk group requires tailored and specific pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy interventions beyond traditionally standard treatments for depression.

Quality of life and coping strategies of outpatients with a depressive disorder in maintenance therapy – a cross-sectional study

“…Some research studies indicate reduced QoL in patients with a depressive disorder. 2 – 6 Several studies have showed that severity of the symptoms negatively impacts the QoL of the patients with major depression. 7 , 8 Although QoL is improved by proper treatment, it tends to remain reduced compared with healthy controls.…”

The influence of depression-PTSD comorbidity on health-related quality of life in treatment-seeking veterans

“…After controlling for depressive and other psychiatric symptoms, there is evidence that PTSD is associated HRQOL (Richardson et al, 2008 ), and evidence that it does not affect functional impairment (Olfson et al, 1997 ). Similarly, compared to those with depression only, research has found both that PTSD comorbidity predicts further declines in quality of life (Steiner et al, 2017 ), and that it does not (Kramer et al, 2003 ). Among a number of possible explanations, the lack of an association between PTSD symptom severity and HRQOL in the most severely depressed participants could represent a floor effect.…”

“…The co-occurrence of depression and PTSD among Canadian military members and veterans is high (ranging from 41-62%) (Richardson et al, 2017 ; Zamorski et al, 2016 ), the implications of which may extend beyond the independent impact of either disorder. Indeed, relative to those with depression or PTSD alone, the presence of both disorders has been linked with more severe psychiatric symptoms, greater suicidal ideation, and increased likelihood of undesirable treatment outcomes (Blanchard, Buckley, Hickling, & Taylor, 1998 ; Campbell et al, 2007 ; Kramer, Booth, Han, & Williams, 2003 , Steiner, Boulos, & Mirocha et al, 2017 ). Further, compared to those with only depression, those with comorbid PTSD have exhibited significantly worse QOL (Campbell et al, 2007 ; Steiner et al, 2017 ).…”

“…Indeed, relative to those with depression or PTSD alone, the presence of both disorders has been linked with more severe psychiatric symptoms, greater suicidal ideation, and increased likelihood of undesirable treatment outcomes (Blanchard, Buckley, Hickling, & Taylor, 1998 ; Campbell et al, 2007 ; Kramer, Booth, Han, & Williams, 2003 , Steiner, Boulos, & Mirocha et al, 2017 ). Further, compared to those with only depression, those with comorbid PTSD have exhibited significantly worse QOL (Campbell et al, 2007 ; Steiner et al, 2017 ). However, the impact of depression-PTSD comorbidity on QOL is not entirely consistent within the literature.…”

Post‐traumatic stress disorder and subthreshold post‐traumatic stress disorder in recent male asylum seekers: An expected but overlooked “European” epidemic

“…If validated, also, the trend for higher rates of a family history of contact with mental health professionals among PTSD and subthreshold PTSD asylum seekers would support the hypothesis of a shared liability between these two clinical conditions and other psychiatric disorders. In any case, comorbidities between PTSD spectrum disorders and other mental illnesses deserve attention considering that comorbid depression is likely to act as a strong predictor of poor PTSD treatment response (Haagen, Ter Heide, Mooren, Knipscheer, & Kleber, ) and PTSD appears to be associated with reduced rates of remission from major depression (Steiner et al, ).…”