Mortality in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD)
István Bitter (Hungary)

Key Insights:

• A nationwide cohort study with an 11-year follow-up.

• At 20 and 45, MDD patients had 7.8 and 6.0 years shorter life expectancy than that of controls, respectively.

• MDD patients with somatic comorbidities or who converted to bipolar (6.8%) or schizophrenia (3.4%) had worse survival.

Takeaway: MDD is a leading cause of early death. Early detection and personalized treatment may lower mortality.

Guidelines for Anxiety Disorder, OCD and PTSD
Borwin Bandelow (Germany)

Key Insights:

• For the 3rd edition of the World Federation of Societies for Biological Psychiatry guideline, 33 experts from 22 countries reviewed treatments for anxiety disorders, OCD, and PTSD in adults and children.

• A total of 1007 RCTs were evaluated using the same rigorous methods for medications, psychotherapy, and other treatments.

Takeaway: SSRIs, SNRIs and CBT are the recommended treatment options for these disorders, but many other treatment modalities exist.