Christensen Michael Cronquist, Ren Hongye, Fagiolini Andrea
Medical Affairs, H. Lundbeck A/S, Ottiliavej 9, 2500, Valby, Denmark.
Division of Psychiatry, Department of Molecular and Developmental Medicine, University of Siena School of Medicine, Siena, Italy.
Ann Gen Psychiatry. 2022 Jun 20;21(1):20. doi: 10.1186/s12991-022-00392-4.
Emotional blunting is a common symptom in people with depression and an important factor preventing full functional recovery. This international survey investigated the experience of emotional blunting in the acute and remission phases of depression from the perspective of patients and healthcare providers. This paper presents data on the impact of emotional blunting on overall functioning and health-related quality of life from the patient perspective.
Respondents were adults diagnosed with depression by a physician, currently prescribed an antidepressant, and reporting emotional blunting during the past 6 weeks. Assessments included the Oxford Depression Questionnaire (ODQ), the Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST), and the World Health Organization-Five Well-being Index (WHO-5). Pearson correlation and multivariate regression analyses were applied to examine the relationship between ODQ and FAST scores.
Data are available for 752 patients (62% female; mean age, 45 years). Mean ODQ total score was 94.8 in patients in the acute phase of depression (n = 300) and 85.7 in those in remission (n = 452; possible maximum, 130). Mean FAST total scores were 47.0 and 33.5, respectively (possible maximum, 72). Patients in the acute phase of depression had significantly greater impairment in functioning across all FAST domains than those in the remission phase (all differences, p < 0.01). Mean WHO-5 scores were 6.4 and 9.8 in the acute and remission phases, respectively (lower scores indicate poorer well-being). Overall, 65% of patients in the acute phase and 36% of those in remission reported that emotional blunting had a significant impact on their quality of life. Pearson correlation analysis showed a moderate positive correlation between ODQ and FAST total scores (r = 0.52) and a weak negative correlation between ODQ total score and WHO-5 score (r = - 0.26; both p < 0.01). In multivariate regression analysis, ODQ total score (in combination with other covariates) was the strongest significant predictor of poor patient functioning.
Emotional blunting has a substantial negative impact on patients' daily functioning, well-being, and quality of life in both the acute and remission phases of depression. These findings highlight the importance of recognizing and treating emotional blunting in patients with major depressive disorder in order to achieve full functional recovery.
情感迟钝是抑郁症患者的常见症状，也是阻碍其完全功能恢复的重要因素。这项国际调查从患者和医疗服务提供者的角度，研究了抑郁症急性期和缓解期情感迟钝的体验。本文从患者角度呈现了情感迟钝对整体功能和健康相关生活质量影响的数据。
受访者为经医生诊断患有抑郁症、目前正在服用抗抑郁药且在过去6周内报告有情感迟钝症状的成年人。评估包括牛津抑郁问卷（ODQ）、功能评估简短测试（FAST）和世界卫生组织五福指数（WHO-5）。应用Pearson相关性分析和多元回归分析来检验ODQ与FAST评分之间的关系。
共有752名患者的数据可供分析（62%为女性；平均年龄45岁）。抑郁症急性期患者（n = 300）的ODQ总分平均为94.8，缓解期患者（n = 452；可能的最高分130）为85.7。FAST总分分别为47.0和33.5（可能的最高分72）。抑郁症急性期患者在所有FAST领域的功能损害均显著大于缓解期患者（所有差异，p < 0.01）。WHO-5评分在急性期和缓解期分别为6.4和9.8（分数越低表明幸福感越差）。总体而言，65%的急性期患者和36%的缓解期患者报告情感迟钝对其生活质量有显著影响。Pearson相关性分析显示ODQ与FAST总分之间存在中度正相关（r = 0.52），ODQ总分与WHO-5评分之间存在弱负相关（r = -0.26；均p < 0.01）。在多元回归分析中，ODQ总分（与其他协变量一起）是患者功能不良的最强显著预测因素。
情感迟钝在抑郁症的急性期和缓解期均对患者的日常功能、幸福感和生活质量产生重大负面影响。这些发现凸显了识别和治疗重度抑郁症患者情感迟钝对于实现完全功能恢复的重要性。
