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Depression, anxiety and PTSD symptoms before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK
- K. S. Young, K. L. Purves, C. Hübel, M. R. Davies, K. N. Thompson, S. Bristow, G. Krebs, A. Danese, C. Hirsch, C. E. Parsons, E. Vassos, B. N. Adey, S. Bright, L. Hegemann, Y. T. Lee, G. Kalsi, D. Monssen, J. Mundy, A. J. Peel, C. Rayner, H. C. Rogers, A. ter Kuile, C. Ward, K. York, Y. Lin, A. B. Palmos, U. Schmidt, D. Veale, T. R. Nicholson, T. A. Pollak, S. A. M. Stevelink, T. Moukhtarian, A. R. Martineau, H. Holt, B. Maughan, A. Al-Chalabi, K. Ray Chaudhuri, M. P. Richardson, J. R. Bradley, P. F. Chinnery, N. Kingston, S. Papadia, K. E. Stirrups, R. Linger, M. Hotopf, T. C. Eley, G. Breen
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- Journal:
- Psychological Medicine / Volume 53 / Issue 12 / September 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 26 July 2022, pp. 5428-5441
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Background
The impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on mental health is still being unravelled. It is important to identify which individuals are at greatest risk of worsening symptoms. This study aimed to examine changes in depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms using prospective and retrospective symptom change assessments, and to find and examine the effect of key risk factors.
MethodOnline questionnaires were administered to 34 465 individuals (aged 16 years or above) in April/May 2020 in the UK, recruited from existing cohorts or via social media. Around one-third (n = 12 718) of included participants had prior diagnoses of depression or anxiety and had completed pre-pandemic mental health assessments (between September 2018 and February 2020), allowing prospective investigation of symptom change.
ResultsProspective symptom analyses showed small decreases in depression (PHQ-9: −0.43 points) and anxiety [generalised anxiety disorder scale – 7 items (GAD)-7: −0.33 points] and increases in PTSD (PCL-6: 0.22 points). Conversely, retrospective symptom analyses demonstrated significant large increases (PHQ-9: 2.40; GAD-7 = 1.97), with 55% reported worsening mental health since the beginning of the pandemic on a global change rating. Across both prospective and retrospective measures of symptom change, worsening depression, anxiety and PTSD symptoms were associated with prior mental health diagnoses, female gender, young age and unemployed/student status.
ConclusionsWe highlight the effect of prior mental health diagnoses on worsening mental health during the pandemic and confirm previously reported sociodemographic risk factors. Discrepancies between prospective and retrospective measures of changes in mental health may be related to recall bias-related underestimation of prior symptom severity.
Genetics of eating disorders in the genome-wide era
- Hunna J. Watson, Alish B. Palmos, Avina Hunjan, Jessica H. Baker, Zeynep Yilmaz, Helena L. Davies
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- Journal:
- Psychological Medicine / Volume 51 / Issue 13 / October 2021
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 15 February 2021, pp. 2287-2297
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Enabled by advances in high throughput genomic sequencing and an unprecedented level of global data sharing, molecular genetic research is beginning to unlock the biological basis of eating disorders. This invited review provides an overview of genetic discoveries in eating disorders in the genome-wide era. To date, five genome-wide association studies on eating disorders have been conducted – all on anorexia nervosa (AN). For AN, several risk loci have been detected, and ~11–17% of the heritability has been accounted for by common genetic variants. There is extensive genetic overlap between AN and psychological traits, especially obsessive-compulsive disorder, and intriguingly, with metabolic phenotypes even after adjusting for body mass index (BMI) risk variants. Furthermore, genetic risk variants predisposing to lower BMI may be causal risk factors for AN. Causal genes and biological pathways of eating disorders have yet to be elucidated and will require greater sample sizes and statistical power, and functional follow-up studies. Several studies are underway to recruit individuals with bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder to enable further genome-wide studies. Data collections and research labs focused on the genetics of eating disorders have joined together in a global effort with the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium. Molecular genetics research in the genome-wide era is improving knowledge about the biology behind the established heritability of eating disorders. This has the potential to offer new hope for understanding eating disorder etiology and for overcoming the therapeutic challenges that confront the eating disorder field.
Associations between childhood maltreatment and inflammatory markers
- Alish B. Palmos, Stuart Watson, Tom Hughes, Andreas Finkelmeyer, R. Hamish McAllister-Williams, Nicol Ferrier, Ian M. Anderson, Rajesh Nair, Allan H. Young, Rebecca Strawbridge, Anthony J. Cleare, Raymond Chung, Souci Frissa, Laura Goodwin, Matthew Hotopf, Stephani L. Hatch, Hong Wang, David A. Collier, Sandrine Thuret, Gerome Breen, Timothy R. Powell
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- Journal:
- BJPsych Open / Volume 5 / Issue 1 / January 2019
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 04 January 2019, e3
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Background
Childhood maltreatment is one of the strongest predictors of adulthood depression and alterations to circulating levels of inflammatory markers is one putative mechanism mediating risk or resilience.
AimsTo determine the effects of childhood maltreatment on circulating levels of 41 inflammatory markers in healthy individuals and those with a major depressive disorder (MDD) diagnosis.
MethodWe investigated the association of childhood maltreatment with levels of 41 inflammatory markers in two groups, 164 patients with MDD and 301 controls, using multiplex electrochemiluminescence methods applied to blood serum.
ResultsChildhood maltreatment was not associated with altered inflammatory markers in either group after multiple testing correction. Body mass index (BMI) exerted strong effects on interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein levels in those with MDD.
ConclusionsChildhood maltreatment did not exert effects on inflammatory marker levels in either the participants with MDD or the control group in our study. Our results instead highlight the more pertinent influence of BMI.
Declaration of interestD.A.C. and H.W. work for Eli Lilly Inc. R.N. has received speaker fees from Sunovion, Jansen and Lundbeck. G.B. has received consultancy fees and funding from Eli Lilly. R.H.M.-W. has received consultancy fees or has a financial relationship with AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Cyberonics, Eli Lilly, Ferrer, Janssen-Cilag, Lundbeck, MyTomorrows, Otsuka, Pfizer, Pulse, Roche, Servier, SPIMACO and Sunovian. I.M.A. has received consultancy fees or has a financial relationship with Alkermes, Lundbeck, Lundbeck/Otsuka, and Servier. S.W. has sat on an advisory board for Sunovion, Allergan and has received speaker fees from Astra Zeneca. A.H.Y. has received honoraria for speaking from Astra Zeneca, Lundbeck, Eli Lilly, Sunovion; honoraria for consulting from Allergan, Livanova and Lundbeck, Sunovion, Janssen; and research grant support from Janssen. A.J.C. has received honoraria for speaking from Astra Zeneca, honoraria for consulting with Allergan, Livanova and Lundbeck and research grant support from Lundbeck.