title: Depression and suicide ideation in chronic hepatitis C patients untreated and treated with interferon: prevalence, prevention, and treatment.
abstract: Interferon-based therapies were until recently the standard of care in chronic hepatitis C (CHC), despite their side effects. We aimed to review the available data on the depression and suicide in CHC patients receiving or not antiviral therapy based on interferon treatment. A PubMed search was performed, identifying relevant papers published between 1991 and January 2015 concerning major depressive disorders and suicidal risk in patients under interferon. A total of 21 relevant papers were retrieved. Prospective studies reported depression as the most common side effect of interferon, with an incidence peak between weeks 8 and 12 of therapy. Suicide risk was analyzed in 7 of the reviewed articles, and case reports of attempted suicide were discussed. Moreover, studies have shown that pretreatment with serotonin reuptake inhibitors is a good strategy for the prevention of interferon-induced depression.
authors.affiliation: 2 Medical Department, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Laura A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Lucaciu
authors.affiliation: 2 Medical Department, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Dan L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Dumitrascu
keywords: Depression; antiviral therapy; chronic hepatitis C; neuropsychiatric events; pegylated interferon; ribavirin; suicide