Quality of life in depression and anxiety: does it matter?

Quality of life (QoL) is an assessment going beyond symptom control that investigates positive effects, life satisfaction, wellbeing, impairment and functioning of a patient. Compared with patients with other common medical disorders, patients with mood (and to a lesser extent) anxiety disorders exhibit an impairment that pervades all dimensions of the QoL scale. There are function- and needs-based approaches to QoL measurement. The availability of numerous QoL scales also prompt careful selection, as different scales stem from varying notions of QoL. Although the effect size of pharmacological treatment on QoL scales is usually smaller than on symptom scales, it is nevertheless clinically significant. Newer antidepressants, such as escitalopram, have been shown to improve QoL in patients with depression and anxiety disorders. Increased assessment of QoL should be encouraged in future trials, to improve the understanding of treatment impact on overall well-being, in patients with depression and anxiety disorders.