Anxiety and depression, chronic physical conditions, and quality of life in an urban population sample study

Objective No previous studies have empirically demonstrated a multiplicative interactive effect of anxiety disorders and/or depression (ADD) and chronic medical conditions on quality of life (QOL). We hypothesized that QOL impairment was worsened by the presence of ADD and medical co-morbidity, more than when it was with either medical co-morbidity alone or ADD alone. Methods Complete data of 2,801 participants from the National Mental Health Survey of Adults in Singapore were analyzed, using SCAN diagnoses of anxiety disorders and depression, self-reports of chronic medical conditions, and SF-12 measures of QOL (Mental Component Summary, MCS, and Physical Component Summary, PCS). Results Persons diagnosed with ADD (compared to those without) had considerably more medical co-morbidities (59 vs. 33%, p