J Korean Neurol Assoc.  2016 Aug;34(3):193-200. 10.17340/jkna.2016.3.4.

Frequency of Depression and Suicidality in Patients with Neurological Disorders: Epilepsy, Parkinson's Disease, and Ischemic Stroke

• Hwang KJ
• Kim EH
• Kim YJ
• Hong SB

• KMID: 2345241
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.17340/jkna.2016.3.4

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Depression and suicide are common in neurological disorders. However, their reported frequencies have varied widely due to heterogeneities in methodology and assessment timing. We evaluated the frequencies of current depression and suicidality in patients with epilepsy, Parkinson's disease (PD), and ischemic stroke (IS).
METHODS
We enrolled patients who visited a tertiary care hospital in Seoul between January and December 2013. All of the patients completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Depression subscale (HADS-D). Any patient with depressive symptoms (defined as a total HADS-D or BDI score of ≥9 or ≥17, respectively) was reassessed with a structured psychiatric interview based on the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview Plus 5.0.0 (MINI).
RESULTS
In total, 305 patients were recruited, comprising epilepsy (n=92, 30.2%), PD (n=99, 32.4%), and IS (n=114, 37.4%). Depressive symptoms were exhibited by 52 epilepsy patients (56.5%), 56 PD patients (56.6%), and 54 IS patients (47.4%), and these were further evaluated with the aid of the MINI. Seven epilepsy patients were diagnosed as major depressive disorder (MDD), five as dysthymic disorder (DD), and nine as depressive disorder not otherwise specified (DDNOS). Twelve PD patients were diagnosed as MDD, 7 as DD, and 10 as DDNOS. Ten stroke patients were diagnosed as MDD, 7 as DD, and 11 as DDNOS. Most patients with depressive symptoms (91.4%) exhibited suicidality.
CONCLUSIONS
Patients with epilepsy, PD, and IS frequently exhibit depression and suicidality. Neurologists should always be concerned about comorbid psychiatric problems when they see patients with neurological disorders.

Keyword

Frequency; Depression; Suicide; Epilepsy; Parkinson's disease; Ischemic stroke

MeSH Terms

Anxiety
Depression*
Depressive Disorder
Depressive Disorder, Major
Dysthymic Disorder
Epilepsy*
Humans
Nervous System Diseases*
Parkinson Disease*
Seoul
Stroke*
Suicide
Tertiary Healthcare