ArticleThe Lancet regional health. Europe2023
Epidemiological overview of major depressive disorder in Scandinavia using nationwide registers.
Article in The Lancet regional health. Europe, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Trends in age-sex-specific prevalence and incidence of antidepressant dispensation in the Nordic countries: a systematic review.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2026Pooled it
- Developmental dynamics of symptoms of emotional problems in childhood and adolescence: A longitudinal network analysis.JCPP advances · 2026Article
- Mental disorders, psychotropic drug dispensation and unfavourable sociodemographic factors in patients with myocardial infarction with and without obstructive coronary arteries.International journal of cardiology. Cardiovascular risk and prevention · 2026Article
- Who Benefits from Family Psychoeducation for Relatives of Adults with Major Depressive Disorder? Findings from a Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Sex differences in familial risk and genetic components of suicide attempts: a register-based cohort study in Sweden.BMJ mental health · 2026Article
- Associations of polygenic risk scores for major depression and depression severity: an investigation of 105 623 individuals with 16 years follow-up.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Article
- Polygenic Scores and Environmental Factors in Psychiatric Disorders: Gene-Environment Interaction Analyses Using the iPSYCH Study.Research square · 2025Article
- Depression genetics through the lens of age at onset.Nature genetics · 2025Article
- Genome-wide association analyses identify distinct genetic architectures for early-onset and late-onset depression.Nature genetics · 2025Article
- Overstated association between adolescent physical fitness and adulthood depression risk due to familial factors.Journal of internal medicine · 2025Article
- Shared genetic architecture between eating disorders, mental health conditions, and cardiometabolic diseases: a comprehensive population-wide study across two countries.Nature communications · 2025Article
- International Trends in Antidepressant Consumption: a 10-year Comparative Analysis (2010-2020).The Psychiatric quarterly · 2025Observational
- Depression care trajectories and sustainable return to work among long-term sick-listed workers: a register-based study (The Norwegian GP-DEP Study).BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Genetic insights into psychotic major depressive disorder: bridging the mood-psychotic disorder spectrum.EBioMedicine · 2025Article
- The impact of weight change on suicide mortality: a nationwide population-based cohort study of 2 million Koreans.Diabetology & metabolic syndrome · 2025Article
- Flunarizine as a potential repurposed drug for the serotonin transporter inhibition: an integrated approach for therapeutic development against major depressive disorder.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Article
- An encompassing Mendelian randomization study of the causes and consequences of major depressive disorder.Nature. Mental health · 2025Article
- Mental Disorders in Danish Hospital Registers: A Review of Content and Possibilities for Epidemiological Research.Clinical epidemiology · 2025Review
- Risk factors, impact, and healthcare use related to initial suicide attempts: comprehensive analysis of Swedish population.BMJ medicine · 2025Article
- Unique genetic and risk-factor profiles in clusters of major depressive disorder-related multimorbidity trajectories.Nature communications · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
23 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common psychiatric disorder associated with a high disease burden. This study gives a comprehensive overview of the prevalence, outcomes, treatment, and genetic epidemiology of MDD within and across the Scandinavian countries. Methods: This study has aimed to assess and compare across Norway, Denmark, and Sweden 1) the prevalence and trajectories of MDD and comorbidity, 2) outcomes and treatment, and 3) heritability (Denmark and Sweden only). The analyses leveraged data on 272,944 MDD cases (and 6.2 million non-cases) from Norway, Sweden, and Denmark in specialist care in national longitudinal health registers covering 1975-2013. Relying on harmonized public data global comparisons of socioeconomic and health metrics were performed to assess to what extent findings are generalizable. Findings: MDD ranked among the most prevalent psychiatric disorders. For many cases, the disorder trajectory was severe, with varying proportions experiencing recurrence, developing comorbid disorders, requiring inpatient treatment, or dying of suicide. Important country differences in specialist care prevalence and treatment were observed. Heritability estimates were moderate (35-48%). In terms of socioeconomic and health indices, the Scandinavian nations were comparable to one another and grouped with other Western nations. Interpretation: The Scandinavian countries were similar with regards to MDD epidemiological measures, but we show that differences in health care organization need to be taken into consideration when comparing countries. This study demonstrates the utility of using comprehensive population-wide registry data, outlining possibilities for other applications. The findings will be of use to policy makers for developing better prevention and intervention strategies. Funding: Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet, award D0886501 to PFS), US National Institutes of Mental HealthR01 MH123724 (to PFS), European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program (847776 and 964874, to OA) and European Research Council grant (grant agreement ID 101042183, to YL).
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