title: Course of depression during the initiation of interferon beta-1a treatment for multiple sclerosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the hypothesis that increases in depression after initiation of treatment with interferon beta-1a for multiple sclerosis can be explained as representing a return to pretreatment levels of depression.
  
  
  METHODS
  Level of depression in patients with multiple sclerosis was assessed at 3 time points: 2 weeks before initiation of interferon beta-la treatment, at initiation of treatment, and at 2-month follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  A health maintenance organization.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-six patients with confirmed relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  The depression-dejection scale of the Profile of Mood States.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients who scored high on the depression measure 2 weeks before the initiation of interferon beta-1a treatment showed significant reduction in depression at the initiation of treatment. However, depression returned nearly to initial levels within 2 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that increases in depression after initiation of interferon beta-1a treatment are related to level of depression 2 weeks before initiation of treatment. Physicians should assess history of depression for all patients in whom interferon beta-1a treatment is initiated. Patients with a recent history of depression are at risk for increased depression within 2 months after starting interferon beta-1a treatment, even though they may not be depressed at the time of treatment initiation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, USA. dmohr@itsa.ucsf.edu
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Mohr
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Likosky
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dwyer
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Van Der Wende
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Boudewyn
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Goodkin
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003863:Depression / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D000068556:Interferon beta-1a; D016899:Interferon-beta / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology*; D011581:Psychological Tests
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D016899:Interferon-beta; D000068556:Interferon beta-1a