Introducing the concept of modern depression in Japan; an international case vignette survey

• Published in: Journal of affective disorders 2011-12, Vol.135 (1), p.66-76
• Main Authors: Kato, Takahiro A, Shinfuku, Naotaka, Fujisawa, Daisuke, Tateno, Masaru, Ishida, Tetsuya, Akiyama, Tsuyoshi, Sartorius, Norman, Teo, Alan R, Choi, Tae Young, Wand, Anne P.F, Balhara, Yatan Pal Singh, Chang, Jane Pei-Chen, Chang, Rita Yuan-Feng, Shadloo, Behrang, Ahmed, Helal Uddin, Lerthattasilp, Tiraya, Umene-Nakano, Wakako, Horikawa, Hideki, Matsumoto, Ryohei, Kuga, Hironori, Tanaka, Masuo, Kanba, Shigenobu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Aetiology; Aged; Australia; Bangladesh; Biological and medical sciences; Data Collection; Depression; Depression - classification; Depression - diagnosis; Depression - epidemiology; Depressive Disorder - diagnosis; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Dysthymia; Epidemiologic Studies; Female; Humans; India; International Classification of Diseases; Iran; Japan; Japan - epidemiology; Korea; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Mood disorders; Personality; Personality Disorders - diagnosis; Psychiatrists; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Shuchaku-kishitsu; Suicide; Surveys and Questionnaires; Taiwan; Thailand; Typus dysthymicus; Typus melancholicus; United States; Urban areas; Vignette; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0165-0327; 1573-2517
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2011.06.030

Abstract Aim Japanese psychiatrists have increasingly reported patients with depression that does not seem to fit the criteria of the ICD-10 and the DSM-IV, and which has recently been called modern type depression (MTD). We explored whether MTD is frequently seen in Japan and also in other countries, and if so, how patients with MTD are diagnosed and treated. Methods The questionnaires, with two case vignettes (traditional type depression (TTD) and MTD), were sent to psychiatrists in Australia, Bangladesh, India, Iran, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and the USA. Participants rated their opinions about each case's prevalence in their country, etiology, diagnosis, suicide risk, and treatment using Likert scales. Results Out of 247 responses (123 from Japan and 124 from other countries), two hundred thirty-nine valid responses were received. MTD was recognized in all participating countries, and especially in urban areas. Generally, the factor of personality was regarded as the most probable cause of MTD. Whereas about 90% of Japanese psychiatrists applied the ICD/DSM criteria to TTD, only about 60% applied the criteria to MTD. Conclusion Our results indicate that Japan's MTD seems to be occurring in many other countries, and that the present ICD/DSM criteria may not be sufficient to diagnose MTD. Therefore, it could be an important candidate for a new international diagnostic criterion as a subtype of depression. A clear diagnostic framework and consensus on the interventions to treat MTD would be valuable. Further clinical, psychopathological and international epidemiological studies are needed to confirm our preliminary findings of MTD.