OBJECTIVES : Major depressive disorder (MDD) and other mental diseases greatly affect the quality of life (QOL), but little is known about longitudinal QOL health status in MDD patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the temporal trends of QOL in MDD patients treated with antidepressants in Japan.

METHODS : The Prospective Epidemiological Research on Functioning Outcomes related to Major Depressive Disorder in Japan (PERFROM-J) study was used, in which patients initiating antidepressant treatment (n=518) were observed for 6 months. Patient’s QOL was assessed at baseline, month 1, month 2, and month 6 using the 5-level version of EQ-5D questionnaire, which consists of 5 items (Mobility, Self-care, Usual Activities, Pain/Discomfort, and Anxiety/Depression), and overall health state measured by VAS. Proportions for each dimension of EQ-5D were described, and Paretian Classification of Health Changes (PCHC) from baseline were assessed at each time point.

RESULTS : Each dimension of EQ-5D-5L improved over the course of antidepressant treatment, and the proportion of patients rating no problems increased from baseline to month 6 with 12.8% (Mobility), 9.9% (Self-care), 30.5% (Usual Activities), 25.6% (Pain/Discomfort), and 28.7% (Anxiety/Depression). However, approximately half of the patients claimed problems (rating 2-5) for daily activities (51.3%), pain/discomfort (51.0%), and anxiety/depression (62.9%) 6 months after initiation of antidepressant treatment, which were dimensions considered related to depression. The PCHC analysis showed that more than half of the patients had “improved (improvement on at least one EQ-5D dimension and no worsening on any other dimension)” their QOL 1 month after initiating antidepressant treatment.

CONCLUSIONS : The temporal trends in QOL of Japanese MDD patients initiating antidepressant was demonstrated by EQ-5D-5L. At 6 months after initiation of antidepressant treatment, there was room for improvement in dimensions related to MDD. Longer treatment may be required to further improve quality of life.