[National information campaigns on depression. A biopsychosocial anthropology?]

Depression and obesity, data from a national administrative database study: Geographic evidence for an epidemiological overlap

Background

Depression and obesity are two major conditions with both psychological and somatic burdens. Some data suggest strong connections between depression and obesity and more particularly associated prevalence of both disorders. However, little is known about the geographical distribution of these two diseases. This study aimed to determine if there is spatial overlap between obesity and depression using data from the entire French territory.

Methods

Data for 5,627 geographic codes for metropolitan France were collected from the two national hospital databases (PMSI-MCO and RIM-P) for the year 2016. We identified people who were depressed, obese or both registered in the two public medico-administrative databases, and we assessed their location. In addition, a multivariable analysis was performed in order to determine geographic interactions between obesity and depression after controlling for age, sex, environmental and socio-economic factors (social/material deprivation, urbanicity/rurality).

Results

1,045,682 people aged 18 years and older were identified. The mapping analysis showed several cold and hot regional clusters of coinciding obesity and depression. The multivariable analysis demonstrated significant geographic interactions, with an increasing probability of finding a high prevalence of obesity in regions with major depression (OR 1.29 95% CI 1.13–1.49, p = 0.0002) and an increased probability of finding a high prevalence of depression in regions with a high ration of obesity (OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.15–1.52, p<0.0001).

Conclusion

Our study confirms the significant bidirectional relationships between obesity and depression at a group level. French geographic patterns reveal a partial overlap between obesity and depression, suggesting these two diseases can be included in a common approach. Further studies should be done to increase the understanding of this complex comorbidity.

Dysfunction by Disclosure? Stereotype Threat as a Source of Secondary Neurocognitive Malperformance in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

OBJECTIVES

There is mixed evidence regarding whether patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) display substantial neurocognitive deficits. Several studies implicate poor motivation, comorbid disorders, or distraction due to obsessive thoughts as potential causes of secondary malperformance. The present study examined the impact of stereotype threat (i.e., confrontation with a negative stereotype may impair performance) on neuropsychological functioning in individuals with OCD. We hypothesized that a stereotype threat cue emphasizing neurocognitive deficits in OCD (as is often conveyed in disclosure and consent documents that inform patients about the purpose of a study) would compromise patients' test performance relative to a control group who did not receive such cue.

METHODS

Fifty participants with either a verified or a likely diagnosis of OCD were recruited online and randomly assigned to either an experimental condition aimed to elicit stereotype threat or a control condition. Both groups underwent (objective) memory and attention (Go/NoGo task) assessments and completed questionnaires capturing psychopathology, cognitive complaints, and self-stigma.

RESULTS

As hypothesized, patients in the stereotype threat condition performed worse on the Go/NoGo task. Groups did not differ on any other measures.

CONCLUSIONS

Stereotype threat negatively impacted neuropsychological performance on an attention task. The threat cue was perhaps too weak or the stereotype threat was already internalized by the patients and "saturated" at baseline so that no effect emerged on the other measures. Implications for clinical trials are discussed. (JINS, 2018, 24, 584-592).