Qualitative Characteristics of Depression in Parkinson's Patients and Controls.
BACKGROUND
Depression is common in Parkinson's disease (PD); in light of typical PD pathology it may differ phenomenologically from depression in the general population.


OBJECTIVE
To assess depressive symptoms in PD patients and control groups and compare symptom profiles.


METHODS
After postal screening of 10,000 citizens of Lübeck, 642 participants were examined and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was sufficiently answered by 477 subjects. Based on motor examinations, we distinguished PD patients, Healthy Controls (HC, no motor impairment), and Disease Controls (DC, motor impairment other than PD).


RESULTS
The sample comprised 331 men and 311 women, aged 65 ± 8 years. Out of the overall sample, 198 (41.5%) had a BDI score ≥9. BDI results above 9 points occurred in 34.5% of HC, 50.3% of DC, and 42.4% of PD patients. Compared to the control groups (HC, DC) the PD patients endorsed more "dissatisfaction" and "loss of appetite" but less "feelings of guilt," "self-hate," and "loss of libido."


CONCLUSIONS
Depressive symptoms are more frequent in PD patients compared to HC but not DC. Interestingly, the distribution of individual symptoms of the BDI differs between groups with an emphasis on loss of pleasure/enjoyment in the PD group, a symptom typically considered to be dopaminergically transmitted.
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany.
Cleo
C
Kritzinger
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany ; Institute of Neurogenetics, University of Lübeck, Maria-Goeppert-Straße 1, 23562 Lübeck, Germany.
Eva-Juliane
EJ
Vollstedt
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany ; Institute of Neurogenetics, University of Lübeck, Maria-Goeppert-Straße 1, 23562 Lübeck, Germany.
Katja
K
Hückelheim
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany ; Institute of Neurogenetics, University of Lübeck, Maria-Goeppert-Straße 1, 23562 Lübeck, Germany.
Anne
A
Lorwin
Institute of Neurogenetics, University of Lübeck, Maria-Goeppert-Straße 1, 23562 Lübeck, Germany.
Julia
J
Graf
Institute of Neurogenetics, University of Lübeck, Maria-Goeppert-Straße 1, 23562 Lübeck, Germany.
Sinem
S
Tunc
Institute of Neurogenetics, University of Lübeck, Maria-Goeppert-Straße 1, 23562 Lübeck, Germany.
Christine
C
Klein
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany ; Institute of Neurogenetics, University of Lübeck, Maria-Goeppert-Straße 1, 23562 Lübeck, Germany.
Meike
M
Kasten
D000368:Aged; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D036301:Qualitative Research