Who is MADD? Mixed anxiety depressive disorder in the general population

BackgroundDiagnostic criteria for (subthreshold) mixed anxiety depression (MADD) were proposed in DSM-IV. Yet the usefulness of this classification is questioned. We therefore assessed the prevalence of MADD, and investigated whether MADD adds to separate classifications of pure subthreshold depression and anxiety.MethodData of the Netherlands Mental Health and Incidence Study were used.ResultsThe 12-month prevalence of MADD was 0.6%. Between the three subthreshold categories few differences were found with regard to socio-demographic variables, care utilisation and functioning. Course in MADD seems more favourable and MADD is not a stable diagnosis over time.LimitationsThe MADD criteria used in the present study differed slightly from the proposed criteria in DSM-IV and sample sizes were small.ConclusionsGiven these results, MADD is not a relevant diagnosis in terms of prevalence and consequences when classified according to the currently proposed criteria.