Parkinson's disease and antidepressant drug treatment—A case-register study

We estimated the nationwide prevalence rate of antidepressant drug treatment in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients.BackgroundVery few studies exist on the frequency of antidepressant drug treatment in patients with PD.MethodPatients with a PD diagnosis at first hospital contact were identified and followed for up to 6 years. The subsequent probability of antidepressant drug treatment was estimated and compared to a control group of patients with osteoarthritis.ResultsThe probabilty of antidepressant drug treatment was 3.98 [95% CI: 3.23–4.91) times higher for PD patients than for controls.ConclusionPatients with PD have higher rates of actual antidepressant drug treatment than a control group with osteoarthritis. Still, however, undertreatment of depressive states may be the case.