A web-based survey on the occurrence of emotional blunting in patients with major depressive disorder in Japan: Patient perceptions and attitudes.
Neuropsychopharmacol Rep
; 44(2): 321-332, 2024 Jun.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38616339
ABSTRACT
AIMS:
To determine the prevalence and impact of emotional blunting (EB) in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) in Japan, and identify treatment needs for EB using patients' perceptions and attitudes.METHODS:
Eligible patients in Japan (aged 18-59 years) who reported a diagnosis of MDD and antidepressant medication use for >3 months were eligible to complete an online survey. The primary outcome was the prevalence of EB, self-reported using a validated screening question. Secondary outcomes included the correlation between EB symptoms (measured by the Oxford Depression Questionnaire [ODQ]) and scores on the Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7), Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS), and the EuroQol 5-Dimension 5-Levels questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L). Descriptive questions were used to explore patients' perceptions and attitudes toward EB.RESULTS:
In total, 3376 patients were included in the analysis (56% male; 48% aged 50-59 years). Overall, 67.1% of patients self-reported symptoms of EB, with 10% rating these as severe. The mean (SD) ODQ total score was 78.2 (21.5), which increased with worsening EB symptoms. There were correlations between ODQ total scores and the PHQ-9, GAD-7, WSAS, and EQ-5D-5L scores (correlation coefficients 0.67, 0.55, 0.56, -0.51, respectively; all p < 0.0001). Descriptive analyses showed that one-third of patients reporting EB symptoms did not tell their physician, with two-thirds finding these symptoms distressing and likely to affect recovery.CONCLUSION:
EB is an important clinical issue in Japan that needs to be considered alongside functional recovery when managing treatment of patients with MDD.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Internet
/
Depressive Disorder, Major
Limits:
Adolescent
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Adult
/
Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
Country/Region as subject:
Asia
Language:
En
Journal:
Neuropsychopharmacol Rep
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Country of publication: