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Depression, Anxiety Are Key Factors
In Impact Of Parkinson’s Disease
By Grace Wiltbank
Contributing Writer
Depression and anxiety have the greatest impact on how Parkinson’s Disease affects its victims — outranking even mobility and pain.
This was the finding of researchers who took part in a three-year project directed by the National Parkinson’s Foundation (NPF) and aimed at identifying and explaining factors that result in longer, better and more active lives for people with Parkinson’s Disease.
The study involved 5,500 Parkinson’s victims from four countries who ranged in age from 25 to 95. All the study participants, the NPF said, were patients at medical facilities noted for their excellence in treating Parkinson’s.
A clear finding of the study, the researchers said, is that “taken together, depression and anxiety have the greatest impact on [Parkinson’s victims] health status.... Scientists showed that the impact of depression on health status is almost twice that of the motor impairments universally associated with Parkinson’s.”
Researchers used the term “health status” to describe how disease affects individuals. Health status is important, they said, because it encompasses much more than just disease. The physician’s role, they said, is not just to help the patient function better but to help the patient also feel better. The researchers said they found that how people with Parkinson’s feel “is a critical factor with a tangible impact in overall health.”
The study found: “At least 50 percent of people with Parkinson’s experience depression and anxiety. Depression and anxiety can be disabling, resulting in difficulty with work or engaging in activities like exercise that can help manage symptoms. Yet physicians often have trouble recognizing anxiety and depression or their roles in hampering efforts to treat Parkinson’s.”
As previous studies have found, the researchers said, addressing depression and anxiety can positively impact levels of disability, relapse and quality of life. They added that patients with the most active approach to counseling reported the lowest rates of depression. For many people with Parkinson’s, they said, “acknowledging depression and anxiety is a critical step toward more effective treatment and better health status overall.”
The researchers added that depression and anxiety in Parkinson’s disease is mainly caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain; however, it can also arise “from the simple sadness associated with the diagnosis of the disease.”
While stressing that anti-depressants are often effective in reducing symptoms, the researchers said that anti-depressants should seldom be used in isolation. A mix of medication, exercise and counseling, they said, is typically most helpful in addressing depression and anxiety in managing care for Parkinson’s patients.
The NPF recommends that physicians screen Parkinson’s patients for depression and anxiety at least once a year, and that patients should discuss any change in their mood with a healthcare professional and make sure that their Parkinson’s doctor is aware of these changes. It was recommended that patients should bring a family member with them to their doctor’s office and that the family member should be encouraged to discuss any changes in the patient’s mood.
The NPF said that it will continue to sponsor research into factors that affect Parkinson’s patients’ “health status” and ways to improve overall the lives of these patients.
In Impact Of Parkinson’s Disease
By Grace Wiltbank
Contributing Writer
Depression and anxiety have the greatest impact on how Parkinson’s Disease affects its victims — outranking even mobility and pain.
This was the finding of researchers who took part in a three-year project directed by the National Parkinson’s Foundation (NPF) and aimed at identifying and explaining factors that result in longer, better and more active lives for people with Parkinson’s Disease.
The study involved 5,500 Parkinson’s victims from four countries who ranged in age from 25 to 95. All the study participants, the NPF said, were patients at medical facilities noted for their excellence in treating Parkinson’s.
A clear finding of the study, the researchers said, is that “taken together, depression and anxiety have the greatest impact on [Parkinson’s victims] health status.... Scientists showed that the impact of depression on health status is almost twice that of the motor impairments universally associated with Parkinson’s.”
Researchers used the term “health status” to describe how disease affects individuals. Health status is important, they said, because it encompasses much more than just disease. The physician’s role, they said, is not just to help the patient function better but to help the patient also feel better. The researchers said they found that how people with Parkinson’s feel “is a critical factor with a tangible impact in overall health.”
The study found: “At least 50 percent of people with Parkinson’s experience depression and anxiety. Depression and anxiety can be disabling, resulting in difficulty with work or engaging in activities like exercise that can help manage symptoms. Yet physicians often have trouble recognizing anxiety and depression or their roles in hampering efforts to treat Parkinson’s.”
As previous studies have found, the researchers said, addressing depression and anxiety can positively impact levels of disability, relapse and quality of life. They added that patients with the most active approach to counseling reported the lowest rates of depression. For many people with Parkinson’s, they said, “acknowledging depression and anxiety is a critical step toward more effective treatment and better health status overall.”
The researchers added that depression and anxiety in Parkinson’s disease is mainly caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain; however, it can also arise “from the simple sadness associated with the diagnosis of the disease.”
While stressing that anti-depressants are often effective in reducing symptoms, the researchers said that anti-depressants should seldom be used in isolation. A mix of medication, exercise and counseling, they said, is typically most helpful in addressing depression and anxiety in managing care for Parkinson’s patients.
The NPF recommends that physicians screen Parkinson’s patients for depression and anxiety at least once a year, and that patients should discuss any change in their mood with a healthcare professional and make sure that their Parkinson’s doctor is aware of these changes. It was recommended that patients should bring a family member with them to their doctor’s office and that the family member should be encouraged to discuss any changes in the patient’s mood.
The NPF said that it will continue to sponsor research into factors that affect Parkinson’s patients’ “health status” and ways to improve overall the lives of these patients.