<p>Hollywood actor Robin Williams, who hung himself at his home earlier this week, has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Now, researchers have confirmed the suspicion that depression is a very common symptom in people suffering from Parkinson's disease.<br /><br /></p>.<p>In fact, depression is the most prevalent non-motor symptom of Parkinson's - a chronic neurodegenerative disorder typically associated with movement dysfunction, according to a new study by Northwestern Medicine investigators in collaboration with the National Parkinson's Foundation (NPF).<br /><br />To reach this conclusion, Danny Bega, an instructor in the Ken and Ruth Davee Department of Neurology at Northwestern, analysed data from more than 7,000 patients with Parkinson's disease followed over a one-year period. "Nearly a quarter of the people in the study reported symptoms consistent with depression," Bega observed.<br /><br />This is important because previous research has determined that depression is a major determinant of overall quality of life. Using the NPS's patient database, the investigators looked at records of more than 7,000 people with Parkinson's disease.<br /><br />Among those with high levels of depressive symptoms, only one-third had been prescribed antidepressants before the study began, and even fewer saw social workers or mental health professionals for counselling.<br /><br />The investigators then focused their analysis on the remaining two-thirds of patients with depressive symptoms who were not receiving treatment at the start of the study.Throughout a year of observation, less than 10 percent of them received prescriptions for antidepressants or referrals to counseling.<br /><br />"The majority of these patients remained untreated. Still, the physician recognition of depression in this population was actually better than previous reports had suggested," Bega noticed.<br /><br />Physicians must be more vigilant about screening patients for depression as part of a routine assessment of Parkinson's disease, the study, published in the Journal of Parkinson's Disease, concluded.</p>
<p>Hollywood actor Robin Williams, who hung himself at his home earlier this week, has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Now, researchers have confirmed the suspicion that depression is a very common symptom in people suffering from Parkinson's disease.<br /><br /></p>.<p>In fact, depression is the most prevalent non-motor symptom of Parkinson's - a chronic neurodegenerative disorder typically associated with movement dysfunction, according to a new study by Northwestern Medicine investigators in collaboration with the National Parkinson's Foundation (NPF).<br /><br />To reach this conclusion, Danny Bega, an instructor in the Ken and Ruth Davee Department of Neurology at Northwestern, analysed data from more than 7,000 patients with Parkinson's disease followed over a one-year period. "Nearly a quarter of the people in the study reported symptoms consistent with depression," Bega observed.<br /><br />This is important because previous research has determined that depression is a major determinant of overall quality of life. Using the NPS's patient database, the investigators looked at records of more than 7,000 people with Parkinson's disease.<br /><br />Among those with high levels of depressive symptoms, only one-third had been prescribed antidepressants before the study began, and even fewer saw social workers or mental health professionals for counselling.<br /><br />The investigators then focused their analysis on the remaining two-thirds of patients with depressive symptoms who were not receiving treatment at the start of the study.Throughout a year of observation, less than 10 percent of them received prescriptions for antidepressants or referrals to counseling.<br /><br />"The majority of these patients remained untreated. Still, the physician recognition of depression in this population was actually better than previous reports had suggested," Bega noticed.<br /><br />Physicians must be more vigilant about screening patients for depression as part of a routine assessment of Parkinson's disease, the study, published in the Journal of Parkinson's Disease, concluded.</p>