Natural experiment study that causally ties moving to a higher altitude area with depression.

Date
2019
Type
Academic / Technical Report
Source
Brent M. Kious
Non-LDS
Hearsay
Direct
Secondary
Reference

Brent M. Kious, Amanda Bakian, Joan Zhao, Brian Mickey, Constance Guille, Perry Renshaw, and Srijan Sen. "Altitude and risk of depression and anxiety: findings from the intern health study." International Review of Psychiatry 31, no. 7-8 (2019): 637-645

Scribe/Publisher
International Review of Psychiatry
People
Joan Zhao, Brian Mickey, International Review of Psychiatry, Amanda Bakian, Srjian Sen, Brent M. Kious, Brent M. Kious, Amanda Bakian, Joan Zhao, Brian Mickey, Constance Guille, Srjian Sen, Constance Guille
Audience
General Public
PDF
Transcription

Multiple studies suggest that the risks of depression and suicide increase with increasing altitude of residence, but no studies have assessed whether changing altitude changes these risks.To address this gap, this study used data from the Intern Health Study, which follows students from the end of medical school through the first year of residency, recording depression via the9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), anxiety via the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire (GAD-7), and multiple risk factors for these symptoms. Data from 3764 medical students representing 46 schools and 282 residencies were available. Odds ratios (OR) representing the effects of altitude on psychiatric symptoms were estimated using generalized linear models. After excluding participants with missing altitude data, 3731 medical students were analyzed. High altitude residence (>900 m) was significantly associated with PHQ-9 total score (OR¼1.32, 95% CI¼1.001–1.75,p<0.05), and PHQ-9 suicidal ideation (OR¼1.79, 95% CI¼1.08–0.02,p¼0.02). Moving from low to high altitude was significantly associated with PHQ-9total score (OR¼1.47, 95% CI¼1.087–1.98,p¼0.01), GAD-7 total score (OR¼1.40, 95% CI¼1.0040–1.95,p<0.05), and PHQ-9 suicidal ideation (OR¼1.10, 95% CI¼1.01–1.19,p¼0.02).The data suggest that moving from low to high altitude is associated with increasing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation.

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