Affiliation:
1. , Truman State University, , , USA
2. , University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, , , USA
3. , Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, , , USA
4. , Notre Dame University, , , USA
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Although antidepressant medication (ADM) has produced small advantages over pill placebo in randomized controlled trials, consuming ADM has predicted prospectively increasing depressive symptom severity in samples of community-dwelling adults. OBJECTIVE: We extended the community literature by testing ADM’s relations to changes in personality and quality of life that may underpin depression. METHOD: In this longitudinal, observational study, community-dwelling adults (N = 601) were assessed twice, 8 months apart on average. Assessments included depressive symptoms, personality, life satisfaction and quality, and prescription medication consumption. RESULTS: Consuming ADM at time 1 predicted relative increases in depressive symptoms (dysphoria), maladaptive traits (negative affect, negative temperament, disinhibition, low conscientiousness), personality dysfunction (non-coping, self-pathology), and decreases in life satisfaction and quality from time 1 to 2, before and after adjustment for age, gender, race, income, education, physical health problems, and use of other psychotropics. In no analysis did ADM use predict better outcomes. CONCLUSION: Among community-dwelling adults, ADM use is a risk factor for psychosocial deterioration in domains including depressive symptoms, personality pathology, and quality of life. Until mechanisms connecting ADM to poor outcomes in community samples are understood, additional caution in use of ADM and consideration of empirically supported non-pharmacologic treatments is prudent.
Subject
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health,Health Policy,General Medicine
Cited by
1 articles.
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