TY - JOUR PY - 2013// TI - Anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in use of methotrexate, hydroxychloroquine, leflunomide and biological drugs JO - Comprehensive psychiatry A1 - Pinho de Oliveira Ribeiro, Natalia A1 - Rafael de Mello Schier, Alexandre A1 - Ornelas, Ana Claudia A1 - Pinho de Oliveira, Christina Maria A1 - Nardi, Antonio Egidio A1 - Silva, Adriana Cardoso SP - 1185 EP - 1189 VL - 54 IS - 8 N2 - 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
LA - en SN - 0010-440X UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2013.05.010 ID - ref1 ER -