Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40785390›Full record

ArticlePsychological medicine2025

Prospective associations between major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, fibromyalgia, and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Nathaniel Stembridge Thomas, Michael C Neale, Kenneth S Kendler, Hanna M van Loo, Nathan A Gillespie

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Psychological medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Nathaniel Stembridge ThomasDepartment of Psychiatry, https://ror.org/02nkdxk79Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Richmond, VA, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6291-0518
Michael C NealeDepartment of Psychiatry, https://ror.org/02nkdxk79Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Richmond, VA, USA.
Kenneth S KendlerDepartment of Psychiatry, https://ror.org/02nkdxk79Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Richmond, VA, USA.
Hanna M van LooDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Nathan A GillespieDepartment of Psychiatry, https://ror.org/02nkdxk79Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Richmond, VA, USA.

Funding

Research Training: Psychiatric &Statistical GeneticsT32MH020030 · NIMH · VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY · PI HERMINE H MAES, MICHAEL CHURTON NEALE · 1999 to 2026
$6.7M
An Integrative Approach to the Etiology of Internalizing Disorders in the Lifelines CohortR01MH125902 · NIMH · VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY · PI KENNETH SEEDMAN KENDLER, Hanna van Loo · 2022 to 2026
$2.8M
NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH125902NIMH NIH HHS T32 MH020030
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFunctional disorders (FDs) are associated with internalizing disorders (IDs). Studies investigating the nature of these associations over time are limited. We tested the direction of causation between measures of IDs (major depressive disorder [MDD], generalized anxiety disorder [GAD]) and FDs (fibromyalgia [FM] and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome [ME/CFS]) measured across two waves of longitudinal data (

methodsThe Lifelines Cohort Study is a large prospective population-based cohort study in the northeast of the Netherlands. We tested competing causal models for the longitudinal association between IDs and FDs and, to follow-up results from the model with all IDs and FDs, tested the direction of causation between MDD and FM.

resultsFDs were more stable over time than IDs. Initial model comparisons support a bidirectional relationship between most IDs and FDs. Follow-up analyses support a unidirectional model where FM predicts MDD over time (

conclusionsThe cross-time associations between ME/CFS, MDD, and GAD appear bidirectional (causal in both directions). Our results are consistent with, but not demonstrative of, a causal relationship from FM to MDD. The consequences of specific FDs vary, underscoring the value of studying these conditions as distinct constructs.

Indexed as

Anxiety DisordersFatigue Syndrome, ChronicFibromyalgiaMajor Depressive DisorderAdultAgedComorbidityFemaleGeneralized Anxiety DisorderHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedNetherlandsProspective Studiesfunctional disordersinternalizing disorderslifelineslongitudinal

Identifiers

PMID40785390
PMCPMC12370297

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.