Depression in Parkinson's disease. Assessment and treatment

With a prevalence of 40%, depression is the most frequent psychiatric diagnosis in Parkinsons disease. Quality of life in Parkinson's patients is severely restricted. There is still no clear evidence concerning the link between these disorders - findings exist that indicate common neurodegenerative processes. At the same time depression seems to develop as a dysfunctional coping reaction to the motoric, emotional, and social restrictions of Parkinson's disease. The authors point out particular features of the depressive symptom profile in patients with Parkinson's disease and recommend a step-by-step approach to assessing depression: screening, assessment by means of the ICD-10 criteria, quantitative evaluation of depressivity, and assessment of suicidality. A survey of current treatment options is provided: pharmacological, somatic, and psychological approaches are introduced and evaluated with respect to effectiveness in this special group of patients.