Overview

• Analysis of over 142,000 UK Biobank participants shows that individuals with multiple chronic conditions face a significantly higher risk of developing depression.
• Specific disease combinations, such as cardiometabolic conditions like diabetes and heart disease, more than double the likelihood of depression.
• A high-risk group with a complex mix of physical ailments, rather than a single dominant disease, exhibited the greatest vulnerability to depression over a decade.
• Women with joint and bone conditions, such as arthritis, showed a pronounced susceptibility to depression, a pattern less evident in men.
• The findings underscore the importance of integrated care models to address both mental and physical health, as traditional healthcare often treats these domains separately.