Epidemiology of Depression and Antidepressant Therapy After Acute Respiratory Failure

The authors enrolled 277 subjects with acute respiratory failure to describe the epidemiology of depressive disorders and antidepressant use during and after intensive care. By SCID criteria, the prevalence of major depressive episode at 2 months was 16%, and 16% had depressive disorder not otherwise specified. Mood disorder incidence was 25% or 28%, depending on methodology. Pre-ICU physical functioning and depression were associated with 2- and 6-month depression severity. At 2 months, the prevalence of antidepressant medication use was 49%, and the incidence was 28%. Depression and antidepressant pharmacotherapy are frequent during recovery from acute respiratory failure.