Depression and anxiety levels in therapy-naive patients with inflammatory bowel disease and cancer of the colon.
OBJECTIVE
To assess whether depression and anxiety are more expressed in patients with the first episode of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) than in individuals with newly discovered cancer of the colon (CCa).


METHODS
A total of 32 patients with IBD including 13 males and 19 females, aged 27 to 74, and 30 patients with CCa including 20 males and 10 females, aged 39-78, underwent a structured interview, which comprised Hamilton's Depression Rating Inventory, Hamilton's Anxiety Rating Inventory and Paykel's Stressful Events Rating Scale.


RESULTS
Patients of the IBD group expressed both depression and anxiety. Depressive mood, sense of guilt, psychomotor retardation and somatic anxiety were also more pronounced in IBD patients. The discriminant function analysis revealed the total depressive score was of high importance for the classification of a newly diagnosed patient into one of the groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Newly diagnosed patients with IBD have higher levels of depression and anxiety. Moreover, a psychiatrist in the treatment team is advisable from the beginning.
Filipović
Branislav-R
BR
Institute of Anatomy, School of Medicine, 4/2 Dr Subotica, Belgrade 11000, Serbia. filipbr@bitsyu.net
Filipović
Branka-F
BF
Kerkez
Mirko
M
Milinić
Nikola
N
Randelović
Tomislav
T
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology*; D016002:Discriminant Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000209:etiology