EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 PM ET, April 04, 2018
Are People with Parkinson鈥檚 Disease Depressed or Demoralized?
MINNEAPOLIS -
People with Parkinson鈥檚 disease who show signs of depression may actually have a condition called demoralization, according to a study published in the April 4, 2018, online issue of , the medical journal of the 好色先生. That study found demoralization may be common in Parkinson鈥檚 disease. Demoralization is a state of feeling helpless and hopeless, with a self-perceived inability to perform tasks in stressful situations. With depression, a person usually knows the appropriate course of action and lacks motivation to act. With demoralization, a person may feel incompetent and therefore uncertain about the appropriate course of action. The two can occur together. 鈥淭he distinction between depression and demoralization is important because the treatments approaches are different,鈥 said study author Brian Koo, MD, of Yale University in New Haven, Conn., and a member of the 好色先生. 鈥淒emoralization may be better treated with cognitive behavioral therapy rather than antidepressant medication, which is often prescribed for depression.鈥 For the study, researchers enrolled a total of 180 people with an average age of 68. Of the group, 94 people had Parkinson鈥檚 disease and 86 people did not. Those in the control group were matched for sex, race, education and age. Participants were evaluated for demoralization with questionnaires asking questions such as 鈥淒o you experience feelings of helplessness, hopelessness or giving up?鈥 and 鈥淒o you feel that you have failed to meet your expectations or those of other people?鈥 They were also assessed for depression. Researchers found that people with Parkinson鈥檚 disease were 2.6 times more likely to be demoralized than people without the disease. In people with Parkinson鈥檚 disease, 18 percent, or 17 of 94 people, were demoralized compared to 8 percent, or seven of 86 people in the control group. Additionally, in the people with Parkinson鈥檚 disease, 20 percent, or 19 of 94 people, were depressed compared to 4 percent, or three of 86 people in the control group. While demoralization and depression can occur at the same time, researchers found there were individuals with just one of the conditions. Among those with Parkinson鈥檚 disease, 37 percent, or seven out of 19 people with depression were not demoralized. Also, 29 percent, or five out of 17 people who were demoralized were not depressed. 鈥淭his suggests that demoralization is not simply a marker of depression,鈥 Koo said. Researchers also found that demoralization, but not depression, was tied to the inability to control movement. Koo said, 鈥淪ince our research shows a link between demoralization and a person鈥檚 ability to function, more research may help further define how to best treat demoralization in Parkinson鈥檚 disease.鈥 One limitation of the study was a lack of information on details of employment. Another was that Parkinson鈥檚 patients with severe disease were more likely to not participate, so the prevalence of demoralization may be underestimated. To learn more about Parkinson's disease, visit .