Table 1. Demographic and clinical characteristics (percentages (%) or mean±s.d.) of participants by depression diagnosis (never, current and remitted) and antidepressant use (yes versus no).
| Characteristic | Controls (n=382) | Current MDD no antidepressants (n=541) | Current MDD antidepressants (n=421) | Remitted MDD no antidepressants (n=539) | Remitted MDD antidepressants (n=161) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female (%) | 61.0 | 66.7 | 67.0 | 71.1 | 70.8 | <0.05 |
| Age | 45.7±12.3 | 39.8±12.6 | 42.6±11.0 | 43.1±12.9 | 45.4±10.8 | <0.001a,b |
| Education (years) | 13.4±3.3 | 11.9±3.2 | 11.7±3.3 | 12.6±3.1 | 12.1±3.3 | <0.001 |
| BMI | 25.4±4.6 | 25.5±5.4 | 26.3±5.6 | 25.3±4.6 | 26.6±5.6 | <0.01a,b |
| Mean met-minutes (weeks)c | 3.7±3.0 | 3.5±3.3 | 3.2±3.3 | 3.8±3.1 | 3.1±2.8 | <0.01b |
| Smoker (%) | 16.5 | 38.7 | 46.0 | 35.5 | 34.3 | <0.001a |
| Alcohol dependent (%) | 5.4 | 23.3 | 20.0 | 17.0 | 13.7 | <0.001 |
| Depression severity, IDS | 5.3±3.5 | 29.6±12.7 | 34.5±13.1 | 16.8±10.3 | 20.3±10.6 | <0.001a,b |
| Age of onset of MDD | NA | 26.1±12.3 | 27.4±12.6 | 27.6±12.2 | 28.2±11.7 | 0.35 |
| Chronic MDD (%)d | NA | 27.5 | 38.3 | 11.1 | 18.7 | <0.001a,b |
| >1 episode of MDD (%) | NA | 63.6 | 58.2 | 54.6 | 61.5 | <0.05a |
| Comorbid anxiety (%)e | NA | 42.2 | 47.7 | NA | NA | <0.05 |
| Suicide ideation (%) | NA | 22.4 | 29.3 | 5.2 | 6.2 | <0.001a |
| Antidepressant medication | ||||||
| SSRI (%) | NA | NA | 62.7 | NA | 65.8 | 0.27 |
| SNRI (%) | NA | NA | 16.4 | NA | 13.0 | 0.06 |
| TCA (%) | NA | NA | 8.1 | NA | 13.0 | 0.19 |
| NaSSA (%) | NA | NA | 8.6 | NA | 2.5 | <0.05 |
| St John's wort (%) | NA | NA | 4.3 | NA | 5.6 | 0.32 |
| Duration of use (months) | NA | NA | 7.5±4.9 | NA | 10.9±3.5 | <0.001 |
Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; IDS, inventory of depressive symptoms; MDD, major depressive disorder; NaSSA, noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressant; SNRI, serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor; SSRI, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor; TCA, tricyclic antidepressant.
Indicates a statistically significant difference (at P<0.05) between the antidepressant treated and antidepressant free current MDD groups.
Indicates a statistically significant difference (at P<0.05) between the antidepressant treated and antidepressant free remitted MDD groups.
Mean met-minutes (that is ratio of energy expenditure during activity to energy expenditure at rest) divided by 1000.
Symptoms were considered chronic if they were present for at least 24 months during the last 5 years.
Included social phobia, panic disorder with and without agoraphobia, agoraphobia and generalized anxiety disorder.