Association of clinical variables and thyroid-stimulating hormone with psychotic symptoms in patients with first-episode and drug-naïve major depressive disorder with elevated fasting blood glucose: preliminary exploratory study with a large sample

Background

Psychotic symptoms and elevated fasting blood glucose (FBG) are frequently observed in people with major depressive disorder (MDD), but there is a lack of research into this relationship within this cohort.

Aims

This study aimed to preliminarily explore the prevalence of psychotic symptoms and their predictors among patients with MDD and elevated FBG.

Method

This study enrolled 1718 patients with first-episode and drug-naïve (FEDN) MDD. Sociodemographic data and physical and biochemical indicators were collected. Clinical symptoms were assessed with tools such as the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale positive subscale.

Results

The odds ratio for psychotic symptoms in those with MDD and elevated FBG (18.7%) was 2.33 times higher than those with MDD without elevated FBG. Presence of psychotic symptoms was significantly correlated with HRSD score, suicide attempts, and total cholesterol and thyroid-stimulating hormone levels. The combination of HRSD score, suicide attempts and thyroid-stimulating hormone levels among patients with MDD and elevated FBG effectively distinguished between individuals with and without psychotic symptoms, achieving an area under the curve of 0.87.

Conclusions

Psychotic symptoms are frequently observed among FEDN MDD patients with elevated FBG, and depressive symptoms, suicide attempts and thyroid-stimulating hormone levels are related to psychotic symptoms in this cohort.