Does the use of antidepressants change the subjective well- being of individuals with ICD-10 depressive disorder identified in the general population?

Abstract

Objective: Subjective well-being (SWB) is impaired in individuals with depressive disorders. The aim of this study was to assess individuals in the general population identified as having depression and compared to SWB of those with antidepressants use. Methods: A household study with a probability sample (N = 3744) was conducted in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 2007 to 2008. The Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) was used to diagnose depression and the Subjective Well-Being Inventory was used to attain the individual's perception of SWB. To estimate the association between SWB and diagnosis of depression, Poisson regression analyses were performed controlling the effects of sociodemographic variables, family history of mental health, other psychiatric diagnoses, and antidepressants use. Results: In the general population, poor SWB was associated to psychiatric diagnosis (depression and others); the productive age; living alone (single; separated or widowed); lower schooling; higher income; history of mental illness in the family; the non-practice of religion and the use of antidepressants. In the exclusive population of patients diagnosed with depression, the poor SWB was associated only to marital status. Twenty two percent of the individuals with depression used antidepressants, and this was not associated to their perceived SWB. Limitation: The main limitation of study was the use of psychotropic medication used as a proxy to identify individuals who made use of health services or received treatment. Conclusion: The individuals diagnosed with depression in the general population had a poorer perception of their SWB, and that SWB was not associated to antidepressants use.

Keywords

• Depression
• Epidemiology
• Mental health
• Epidemiological survey
• Community representative sample