The Prevalence and Risk Factors of Undiagnosed Depression and Anxiety Disorders Among Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Abstract

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with a high prevalence of comorbid depressive and anxiety disorders. A significant proportion of IBD patients with comorbid psychiatric disorders remain undiagnosed and untreated, but factors associated with diagnosis are unknown. We evaluated the prevalence of undiagnosed depression and anxiety in an IBD cohort, along with the associated demographic and clinical characteristics.

Methods: We obtained data from the enrollment visit of a cohort study of psychiatric comorbidity in immune-mediated diseases including IBD. Each participant underwent a Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR Axis I Disorders (SCID) to identify participants who met lifetime criteria for a diagnosis of depression or anxiety. Those with a SCID-based diagnosis were classified as diagnosed or undiagnosed based on participant report of a physician diagnosis.

Results: Of 242 eligible participants, 97 (40.1%) met SCID criteria for depression, and 74 (30.6%) met criteria for anxiety. One-third of participants with depression and two-thirds with anxiety were undiagnosed. Males were more likely to have an undiagnosed depressive disorder (odds ratio [OR], 3.36; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.28-8.85). Nonwhite participants were less likely to have an undiagnosed anxiety disorder (OR, 0.17; 95% CI, 0.042-0.72).

Conclusion: Our findings highlight the importance of screening for depression and anxiety in patients with IBD, with particular attention to those of male sex and with a lower education level.

Keywords: anxiety; depression; inflammatory bowel disease.