To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Beck Depression Inventory Does Not Provide Definitive Diagnosis of Depression in Patients With Parkinson's Disease: Presented at ANA URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/2887E2.htm Doctor's Guide October 9, 2007
By Maggie Schwarz WASHINGTON, DC -- October 9, 2007 -- It is important to evaluate patients with Parkinson's disease for the presence of depression, but physicians should use more than one diagnostic tool, especially when making treatment decisions, researchers stressed in a presentation here at the 132nd Annual Meeting of the American Neurological Association (ANA). Bonnie E. Levin, PhD, Associate Professor and Director, Division of Neuropsychology, Department of Neurology, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, United States, and colleagues, evaluated the ability of the Beck Depression Inventory second edition (BDI-II) to diagnose depression by correlating findings obtained using the BDI with those obtained using criteria for depression in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR). Depression is the most common neuropsychiatric complaint in Parkinson's disease, with an estimated prevalence of around 40% of all patients who undergo formal screening. "Diagnosing and treating depression is important because depression is linked to poor compliance with therapy for Parkinson's disease," stressed Dr. Levin. "It's also associated with caregiver distress and reduced quality of life." "BDI-II is the most widely used screening tool to detect depression in Parkinson's disease, and closely parallels DSM-IV-TR criteria for diagnosing depression," said Dr. Levin. "BDI-II assesses whether symptoms have been present for 2 or more weeks." Dr. Levin and the team evaluated 133 patients with Parkinson's disease using a battery of neuropsychological measures, including the BDI-II, as part of a presurgical evaluation for deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery. Using BDI-II scores, 61 patients (45.9%) were identified as having clinical significant depressive symptoms (BDI-II = 14). Within this subgroup, 23 (37.7%) and 14 (23.0%) patients met DSM-IV-TR criteria for major depressive disorder and minor depressive disorder, respectively. Twenty-three patients (37.7%) classified as depressed based on BDI-II scores did not meet diagnostic criteria for either disorder. It is possible that these patients may represent subsyndromal or subthreshold depression, according to the study authors. On the other hand, these individuals' complaints could not be clearly dissociated from their Parkinson's disease symptoms (anhedonia, fatigue, sleep disturbance), they noted. Dr. Levin said that the group's findings underscore the importance of evaluating depression in Parkinson's disease patients in the context of disease symptoms. BDI-II should not be used alone to diagnose depression, especially when making treatment decisions. [Presentation title: Diagnosing Depression in Parkinson's Disease: BDI Screening Versus DSM-IV-TR Criteria. Abstract #18(PD)] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.