Hidden depression in otolaryngology patients with medically unexplained symptoms.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To investigate the prevalence of depression among otolaryngology patients with medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) and the outcome of treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

METHOD:

Ninety patients with MUS from a population of 983 consecutive otolaryngology outpatients were enrolled. The Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) was used to screen for depression. In addition to standard treatment, all depressed and nondepressed patients received SSRIs for 8 weeks. The Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) scale was used to evaluate clinical changes in patients with MUS.

RESULTS:

There were 49 patients with depression among those with MUS, according to the SDS criteria. The patients with depression showed a better outcome than those without depression, demonstrating more significantly improved CGI-I scores.

CONCLUSION:

More than half of the individuals with otolaryngological MUS had depression, and their MUS were successfully treated with SSRIs.

• Authors: Fumiyuki Goto, Tomoko Tsutsumi, Naoki Oishi, Masaru Mimura
• Journal: General hospital psychiatry (Gen Hosp Psychiatry) 2012 Mar-Apr Vol. 34 Issue 2 Pg. 206-8 ISSN: 1873-7714 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 22055330 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors

Topics

• Aged
• Depressive Disorder, Major (diagnosis, epidemiology)
• Female
• Humans
• Japan (epidemiology)
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Otolaryngology
• Patients (psychology)
• Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (therapeutic use)
• Somatoform Disorders