Citation

Pinho de Oliveira Ribeiro N, Rafael de Mello Schier A, Ornelas AC, Pinho de Oliveira CM, Nardi AE, Silva AC. Compr. Psychiatry 2013; 54(8): 1185-1189.

Affiliation

National Institute for Science and Technology - Translational Medicine (INCT-TM); Laboratory of Panic and Respiration, Institute of Psychiatry, UFRJ, INCT-TM. Electronic address: pinho.natalia@yahoo.com.br.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.comppsych.2013.05.010

PMID

23829886

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to investigate the prevalence of anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis taking different drugs to control the disease. METHODS: The study included 105 patients with rheumatoid arthritis who were treated with methotrexate, leflunomide, hydroxychloroquine and biological drugs. All patients were assessed using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. RESULTS: Difference was statistically significant (p<0.001) for both depression and anxiety as to suicidal ideation among groups of patients according to the medication used. Furthermore, the value reached by those patients taking biological drugs was alarming with higher scores for all measures, including suicide ideation. The patients using methotrexate and leflunomide reported lower scores on suicidal ideation than those using hydroxychloroquine and biological drugs. Patients using leflunomide showed less mental health impairment than other groups. CONCLUSION: Greater scores for depression, as a comorbidity of rheumatoid arthritis, increase the rate of suicidal ideation and depression also can worsen general pain, hardships, treatment denial, and prognosis, as well as cause a faster reduction in quality of life. Patients taking biologic DMARDs (drugs known as disease-modifying drugs) had the highest rates of depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation among all patients studied. The current analysis showed that psychiatric aspects such as depression, anxiety and even suicide ideation, may differ between groups of patients with arthritis according to the drug used, serving as an alert to the importance of considering also this factors in therapeutic decisions.

Language: en