Treatment of Depression in Parkinson’s Disease

Abstract

Depression is common in PD and negatively impacts quality of life but often goes undiagnosed and therefore untreated. The significant overlap between the symptoms of depression and those of PD itself can make the recognition and diagnosis difficult. One should specifically inquire about mood and then explore other symptoms such as disturbances of concentration and sleep that, while common in PD, may represent part of a depressive syndrome. When explaining the diagnoses, it is important to emphasize that depression is due to the disease itself and that it can be effectively treated with readily available and generally well-tolerated antidepressant medications.