A Population-Based Study Of Depression In Persons With Parkinson's Disease

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic neurological condition that degenerates motor skills and degrades cognitive function over time. Depression is commonly associated with PD, and can lead to decreased quality of life and increased health care utilization in persons with PD. The goal of the current project is to estimate the prevalence of depression in PD disease patients and characterize this population in terms of demographics, differing diagnostic criteria and comorbidities. It was found that the prevalence of depression, using both the cutpoint and algorithm scoring methods are higher in PD than in the general population. In addition, a significantly greater proportion of persons with PD report suicidal ideation than the general population. Most persons with PD report poor self-rated health and almost 1 in 5 report their current health state to be worse than dead. Two-thirds of persons report their PD symptoms to be worse or much worse than when they were first diagnosed.