Prevalence of depression in a 12-month consecutive sample of patients with ALS

Authors: Wicks, P.¹; Abrahams, S.²; Masi, D.¹; Hejda-Forde, S.¹; Leigh, P. N.³; Goldstein, L. H.¹

Source: European Journal of Neurology, Volume 14, Number 9, September 2007 , pp. 993-1001(9)

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Abstract:

There is an impression both in clinical practice and in research literature that patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) possess `heroic stoicism with a low frequency of depression'. Reliance on specific interview methods may have contributed to differing estimates of mood disorder in people with ALS. The objective of the current study was to compare prevalence rates of depression and anxiety in ALS using different assessment tools. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were sent to a 12-month consecutive sample of 190 patients with ALS attending a tertiary referral clinic in the UK. Data were collected from 104 patients with ALS. Using BDI scores, 44% were categorized as not depressed, 37% were mild-moderately depressed, 13% were moderately-severely depressed, and 6% were severely depressed. In contrast, the HADS depression subscale identified 75% as not depressed, 13% were in the borderline range, and 13% were categorized as meeting `caseness' for depression. Twenty-five percent of the patients were using antidepressant medication. The estimated prevalence of mood disorder amongst patients with ALS may vary significantly depending on the measure used.

Keywords: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; anxiety; depression; motor neurone disease; prevalence study

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-1331.2007.01843.x

Affiliations: 1: Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK 2: Department of Psychology, PPLS, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK; 3: Department of Clinical Neuroscience, MRC Centre for Neurodegeneration Research, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK

Publication date: 2007-09-01

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