Association of serum lipid levels with psychotic symptoms in young, first-episode and drug naive outpatients with major depressive disorder: A large-scale cross-sectional study

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) patients with psychotic symptoms have more complex clinical symptoms and higher relapse rates. The purpose of this study was to compare serum lipid differences between psychotic major depressive disorder (PMD) and non-psychotic major depressive disorder (NPMD) in a large sample of young first-episode drug naive (FEDN) patients. Methods: We recruited 1289 young MDD patients. Socio-demographic information, clinical data, and lipid pa-rameters were collected. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, and the positive symptom subscale of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale were used to assess patients' depressive, anxiety and psychotic symptoms, respectively.Results: Compared with the NPMD group, the PMD group had higher HAMD, HAMA scores, and higher TC, TG, and LDL-C levels. Correlation analysis showed that psychotic symptoms were significantly associated with the total score of HAMD and HAMA, and the levels of serum lipid. In addition, logistic regression analysis found that TC was associated with psychotic symptoms in young FEDN MDD patients.Conclusion: Our results suggest TC levels may be associated with psychotic symptoms in young MDD patients. The importance of regular psychotic symptom assessment in young MDD patients with high TC levels should be taken into account.