Affiliations: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA | Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA | Raúl Carrea Institute of Neurological Research, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
Note: [] Correspondence to: S.E. Starkstein, Instituto de Investigaciones Neurológicas Raúl Carrea, Ayacucho 2166, 1112 Buenos Aires, Argentina
Abstract: We examined a consecutive series of 40 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) for the presence of anxiety. We found that 40 % met DSM-III criteria for generalized anxiety disorders, and half of them also met criteria for either major depression or minor depression. While depression was associated with long duration of illness and more severe cognitive and physical impairments, anxiety was not associated with greater impairment. We conclude that anxiety, with or without depression, constitutes a frequent psychiatric problem among patients with PD.
