title: Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) in healthy study subjects, in patients with breast disease and breast cancer: a prospective case-control study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In 1979, Montgomery and Asberg introduced an inventory for screening of depression. To our knowledge, the associations between the MADRS and the risk of breast cancer (BC) are rarely considered together in a prospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  In an extension of the Kuopio Breast Cancer Study, 115 women with breast symptoms were semi-structurally interviewed in-depth, as well as asked to complete standardised questionnaires (BDI, Forsen, Spielberger), and all study variables were obtained before any diagnostic procedures were carried out. MADRS was used to evaluate the depression of the study participants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The clinical examination and biopsy showed BC in 34 patients, benign breast disease (BBD) in 53 patients, and 28 individuals were shown to be healthy (HSS). There was a trend for the women of the HSS group to have less apparent sadness (MADRS mean score, 1.14) than these of the BC (MADRS mean score, 1.47) and BBD groups (MADRS mean score, 1.66). The HSS group tended to have less inner tension and less lassitude (MADRS mean score, 0.93 and 0.50) than the patients in the BC group (MADRS mean score, 1.24 and 1.18) and in the BBD group (MADRS mean score, 1.13 and 1.28). The HSS group also reported less inability to feel (MADRS mean score, 1.14) than the patients in the BC group (MADRS mean score, 1.41) and the patients in the BBD group (MADRS mean score, 1.28). The mean sum of the scores of MADRS variables were significantly lower in the HSS group (MADRS mean score, 8.43) than in the BC (MADRS mean score, 11.35) and BBD groups (MADRS mean score, 10.68).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study do not support a specific link between MADRS and breast cancer risk. However, patients with BC or BBD tended to have an increased risk for experiencing depressive symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Kuopio University Hospital, PL 1777, 70211 Kuopio, Finland. matti.eskelinen@kuh.fi
authors.forename: Matti
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eskelinen
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ollonen
mesh_terms: D001941:Breast Diseases / Q000523:psychology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006262:Health; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales