Depression in Parkinson's Disease - Part 2: Therapy and Management

A good number of different methods and antidepressive agents are now available for the management of depressive symptoms, the efficacy of which has been confirmed by clinical studies. Various approaches - be it medication, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), psychoeducation and psychotherapy - have also been developed to treat depression in patients with Parkinson's disease. Unfortunately, only a few controlled studies exist for this very specific group of patients. Systematic knowledge of treatment options, however, is lacking. Efficient management of depressive symptoms is absolutely indispensable considering the proven impact of a depression on the patients' quality of life. So far, more than half of the patients afflicted with Parkinson's disease and depression do not receive proper antidepressive therapy. This survey gives an overview on the pharmacological, somatic and psychological procedures of treatment applied in this group of patients, along with useful suggestions.