Only a limited number of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) respond to a first course of antidepressant medication (ADM). We investigated the feasibility of creating a baseline model to determine which of these would be among patients beginning ADM treatment in the US Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

A 2018–2020 national sample of n = 660 VHA patients receiving ADM treatment for MDD completed an extensive baseline self-report assessment near the beginning of treatment and a 3-month self-report follow-up assessment. Using baseline self-report data along with administrative and geospatial data, an ensemble machine learning method was used to develop a model for 3-month treatment response defined by the Quick Inventory of Depression Symptomatology Self-Report and a modified Sheehan Disability Scale. The model was developed in a 70% training sample and tested in the remaining 30% test sample.

In total, 35.7% of patients responded to treatment. The prediction model had an area under the ROC curve (s.e.) of 0.66 (0.04) in the test sample. A strong gradient in probability (s.e.) of treatment response was found across three subsamples of the test sample using training sample thresholds for high [45.6% (5.5)], intermediate [34.5% (7.6)], and low [11.1% (4.9)] probabilities of response. Baseline symptom severity, comorbidity, treatment characteristics (expectations, history, and aspects of current treatment), and protective/resilience factors were the most important predictors.

Although these results are promising, parallel models to predict response to alternative treatments based on data collected before initiating treatment would be needed for such models to help guide treatment selection.

For treatment of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, comparative long-term effectiveness of antipsychotic drugs to reduce relapses when minimising adverse effects is of clinical interest, hence prompting this review.

To evaluate the comparative long-term effectiveness of antipsychotic drugs.

We systematically searched electronic databases for reports of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of antipsychotic monotherapy aimed at reducing relapse risks in schizophrenia. We conducted network meta-analysis of 18 antipsychotics and placebo.

Studies of 10 177 patients in 56 reports were included; treatment duration averaged 48 weeks (range 4–156). Olanzapine was significantly more effective than chlorpromazine (odds ratio (OR) 0.35, 95% CI 0.14–0.88) or haloperidol (OR=0.50, 95% CI 0.30–0.82); and fluphenazine decanoate was more effective than chlorpromazine (OR=0.31, 95% CI 0.11–0.88) in relapse reduction. Fluphenazine decanoate, haloperidol, haloperidol decanoate and trifluoperazine produced more extrapyramidal adverse effects than olanzapine or quetiapine; and olanzapine was associated with more weight gain than other agents.

Except for apparent superiority of olanzapine and fluphenazine decanoate over chlorpromazine, most agents showed intermediate efficacy for relapse prevention and differences among them were minor. Typical antipsychotics yielded adverse neurological effects, and olanzapine was associated with weight gain. The findings may contribute to evidence-based treatment selection for patients with chronic psychotic disorders.

Social anxiety disorder is one of the most popular psychiatric disorders in the general population and is also well known as a very common comorbid psychiatric disorder among patients with major depression. On the other hand, social anxiety disorder has been termed “the neglected anxiety disorder” because its diagnosis is often missed. Furthermore, the potential impact of social anxiety disorder on the psychological distress of cancer patients has not been reported.

We encountered two cancer patients with refractory depression after cancer diagnosis, in whom comorbid social anxiety disorder was unexpectedly detected during a subsequent follow-up.

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to discuss the potential impact of social anxiety disorder on cancer patients' distress. These two cases may help to improve our understanding of the complicated mental health problems of cancer patients and the potential influence of social anxiety disorder on patients' follow-up medical treatment.

Comorbid social anxiety disorder should be considered when a cancer patient's depression is resistant to treatment and the existence of communication problems between the patient and the medical staff is suspected.

To investigate the association between cancer patients' reluctance for emotional disclosure to their physician and underrecognition of depression by physicians.

Randomly selected ambulatory patients with lung cancer were evaluated by the Hospital Depression and Anxiety Scale (HADS), and those with scores over the validated cutoff value for adjustment disorder or major depressive disorder were included in this analysis. The data set included the responses to the 13-item questionnaire to assess four possible concerns of patients in relation to emotional disclosure to the treating physician (“no perceived need to disclose emotions,” “fear of the negative impact of emotional disclosure,” “negative attitude toward emotional disclosure,” “hesitation to disturb the physician with emotional disclosure”). The attending physicians rated the severity of depression in each patient using 3-point Likert scales (0 [absent] to 2 [clinical]). Depression was considered to be underrecognized when the patients had a HADS score above the cutoff value, but in whom the depression rating by the attending physician was 0.

The HADS score was over the cutoff value in the 60 patients. The mean age was 65.1 ± 10.0, and 82% had advanced cancer (Stage IIIb or IV or recurrence). Depression was underrecognized in 44 (73%) patients. None of the four factors related to reluctance for emotional disclosure was associated with the underrecognition of depression by the physicians. None of the demographic or cancer–related variables were associated with depression underrecognition by physicians.

The results did not support the assumption that patients' reluctance for emotional disclosure is associated with the underrecognition of depression by physicians.

Generalisability of existing studies on the naturalistic history of major depression is undermined by overrepresentation of in-patients and tertiary care academic centres, inclusion of patients already on treatment and/or incomplete follow-up.

To report the time to recovery of an inception cohort of unipolar major depressive episodes.

A multi-centre prospective follow-up study of patients with a mood disorder, who had been selected to be representative of the untreated first-visit patients at 23 psychiatric settings from all over Japan.

The median time to recovery of the index episode after treatment commencement was 3 months (95% CI 2.5–3.6): 26% of the cohort reached asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic status by I month, 63% by 3 months, 85% by 12 months and 88% by 24 months.

Our estimate of the episode length was 25–50% shorter than estimates reported in the literature.