Association Between Depressive Symptoms and Mortality in Medical Inpatients

• Published in: Psychosomatics (Washington, D.C.) Vol. 41; no. 5; pp. 426 - 432
• Main Authors: Furlanetto, Leticia M., Von Ammon Cavanaugh, Stephanie, Bueno, Joao Romildo, Creech, Steven D., Powell, Lynda H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC Elsevier Inc 01.09.2000; American Psychiatric Press; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Brazil; Cause of Death; Chronic Disease - mortality; Chronic Disease - psychology; Depression; Depression - mortality; Depression - psychology; Depressive Disorder, Major - mortality; Depressive Disorder, Major - psychology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hospital Mortality; Humans; Illness and personality; Illness, stress and coping; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Mood disorders; Prognosis; Psychology and medicine; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Sick Role; Survival Analysis; Brazil; Mood disorder; Human; Disease; Hope hopelessness; General hospital; Mortality; Prediction; Sleep disorder; Anhedonia; Depression; Symptomatology; Pain; Treatment; Follow up study; Insomnia; Clinical investigation; Comparative study; Somatic disease
• ISSN: 0033-3182; 1545-7206
• DOI: 10.1176/appi.psy.41.5.426

The authors interviewed a consecutive series of medical inpatients ( N = 241) using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia to determine which depressive symptoms are associated with in-hospital mortality. Fifteen depressive symptoms, pain, and physical discomfort were assessed along with medical comorbidity. Twenty patients died in-hospital (8.3%). Logistic regression showed that anhedonia, hopelessness, worthlessness, indecisiveness, and insomnia predicted in-hospital death after adjusting for physical comorbidity and age. Clinicians should be aware that these depressive symptoms may predict mortality in medical inpatients. Future studies should address which treatment modalities lead to better outcomes.