The patients’ perspective: Results of a survey assessing knowledge about and attitudes toward depression in PD

The patients’ perspective: Results of a survey assessing knowledge about and attitudes toward depression in PD

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Irene Hegeman Richard1, Kori A LaDonna1, Rosanne Hartman2, Carol Podgorski1, Roger Kurlan1, SAD-PD Study Group31University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA; 2Canisius College, Buffalo, NY, USA; 3Please see Appendix for members of the SAD-PD Study GroupAbstract: We report results of a survey Compact Refrigerator assessing patients’ knowledge about and attitudes towards depression in Parkinson’s disease (PD).345 patients from 8 tertiary care centers responded (43% response rate).Overall, patients were relatively knowledgeable about depression and its occurrence in PD.However, many patients believed that depression is a normal reaction to the illness.

While many respondents would be reluctant to initiate a discussion of depression during a clinical evaluation, most would feel comfortable talking about depression with their physician if he or she asked them questions about their mood.Based on the results of this survey, we Volleyball - Clothing - Shorts recommend the following approach for physicians: (1) inform PD patients that, although a frequent occurrence, depression need not be accepted as a “normal reaction” to PD; and (2) routinely inquire about depressive symptoms rather than waiting for the patient to spontaneously report them.Keywords: depression, Parkinson’s disease, survey.