Parkinson's disease: Another reason for depression

 A new study has suggested that depression is a common indication of Parkinson's disease but it remains untreated for many patients.

The study conducted by the Northwestern Medicine investigators in collaboration with the National Parkinson's Foundation (NPF) showed that depression was the most established non-motor symptom of Parkinson's disease.

Danny Bega, MD, instructor in the Ken and Ruth Davee Department of Neurology, said that they confirmed suspicion that depression was a very common symptom in Parkinson's disease.

Bega said that physicians must be more vigilant about screening patients for depression as part of a routine assessment of Parkinson's disease, and the effectiveness of different treatments for depression in this population needed to be assessed.

The study is published in the Journal of Parkinson's disease.