We further validated the novel self-report phenotype by assessing expected characteristics of medication use, comorbid symptoms, and risk factors commonly seen in MDD within the 23andMe self-report cohort (Supplementary Table 9). Reporting of anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia were significantly increased (pval < 5.0 × 10−243 for all traits tested) among subjects reporting depression as well as a BMI greater than 27 (i.e. overweight) and a BMI greater than 30 (i.e. obese). Reporting of current SSRI use, medication for mental health problems, prescription sleep aids, and pain medication were also increased with the highest odds ratio for any trait tested being for SSRIs and psychotropic use (13.35 and 44.83, respectively), further supporting the validity of the phenotype ascertainment. Cohort characteristics were also tested separately in males and females with no evidence of sex-specific differences (Supplementary Table 10).
