Depression is often untreated in patients with Parkinson's disease, according to a recent study.

Researchers from Northwestern University and the National Parkinson's Foundation (NPF) found that despite being a common symptom of the chronic neurodegenerative disorder - which is typically associated with movement dysfunction - it remains untreated for many patients. Depression is the most prevalent non-motor symptom of Parkinson's.

"We confirmed suspicion that depression is a very common symptom in Parkinson's disease. Nearly a quarter of the people in the study reported symptoms consistent with depression," said Danny Bega, and first author of the study. "This is important because previous research has determined that depression is a major determinant of overall quality of life."

For the study, the research team investigators looked at records of more than 7,000 people with Parkinson's disease. Among those with high levels of depressive symptoms, only one-third had been prescribed antidepressants before the study began, and even fewer saw social workers or mental health professionals for counseling.

The investigators then focused their analysis on the remaining two-thirds of patients with depressive symptoms who were not receiving treatment at the start of the study. Throughout a year of observation, less than 10 percent of them received prescriptions for antidepressants or referrals to counseling. Physicians were most likely to identify depression and advocate treatment for patients with the severest depression scores.

"The majority of these patients remained untreated," Bega said. "Still, the physician recognition of depression in this population was actually better than previous reports had suggested."

However, recognition may be lower for the general population of patients with Parkinson's disease -- the patients in this study visited medical centers deemed "Centers of Excellence" by the NPF.

"Physicians must be more vigilant about screening patients for depression as part of a routine assessment of Parkinson's disease, and the effectiveness of different treatments for depression in this population need to be assessed," Bega added.


The findings were recently published in the Journal of Parkinson's Disease.