Residual symptoms related to physical and panic symptoms at baseline predict remission of depression at follow-up

Aims: The study aimed to investigate whether common residual symptoms at baseline were able to predict full remission of depression at 6-month and 2-year follow-up examinations in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods: This study enrolled 135 outpatients with MDD. The depression (DS) and somatic subscales (SS) of the Depression and Somatic Symptoms Scale and the depression and anxiety (HADS-A) subscales of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale were used to investigate residual symptoms, which were divided into the common residual part (CRP) and the other residual part (ORP). Multivariate logistic regression was used to compare the ability to predict full remission between the CRP and ORP scores at baseline. Results: One hundred and nineteen and 106 outpatients completed the two follow-up examinations. The CRP of the DS and the ORP of the SS and HADS-A at baseline had a good ability to predict full remission among patients without pharmacotherapy. The three residual parts included physical and anxiety symptoms of depression and panic symptoms. Conclusions: Physicians should pay attention to physical, anxiety, and panic symptoms, because these symptoms are related to remission of depression. Future studies should explore how these symptoms affect the prognosis of depression.