Anxiety and depression in hospitalized patients in resistant organism isolation.
BACKGROUND
Previous studies have reported an increase in psychiatric symptoms in seriously ill patients who were placed in resistant organism isolation. We conducted this study to assess whether there is an increase in symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients who are not critically ill and are placed in isolation.


METHODS
Patients hospitalized with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus species infections were evaluated with the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale at baseline and again during hospitalization. The results were then compared with the results of patients who were hospitalized for infectious diseases that did not require isolation.


RESULTS
Patients in isolation had significantly higher scores on both the anxiety and depression scales at the time of follow-up than did patients who were not isolated. There was no significant difference between the scores of the two groups before isolation.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this preliminary study suggest that placement in resistant organism isolation may increase hospitalized patients' levels of anxiety and depression.
Catalano
Glenn
G
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, and College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA. gcatalan@hsc.usf.edu
Houston
Sally H
SH
Catalano
Maria C
MC
Butera
Adam S
AS
Jennings
Shannon M
SM
Hakala
Sheryl M
SM
Burrows
Stephanie L
SL
Hickey
Mark G
MG
Duss
Charles V
CV
Skelton
David N
DN
Laliotis
Georgia J
GJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D016983:Enterococcus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016908:Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D008875:Middle Aged; D010356:Patient Isolation / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D020713:Vancomycin Resistance