Depression and anxiety in individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a systematic review

Abstract

Patients with ALS may exhibit symptoms of depression and anxiety at different levels, but there is a need for studies using specific instruments with larger samples in order to ascertain the prevalence of symptoms in ALS and the factors associated with it.

Assessing anxiety and its correlates in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: The state‐trait anxiety inventory

“…In our sample, approximately 19% of patients showed anxiety disorders according to the standard diagnostic criteria, a prevalence rate similar to those reported in previous studies on ALS patients using standard diagnostic criteria (i.e., DSM‐IV, ICD‐10) . Cognitive and behavioural symptoms were as frequent in our ALS sample as in previous studies . Both STAI Form Y inventories showed good acceptability and reliability, and a satisfactory precision in ALS, as in patients with multiple sclerosis, and in elderly people .…”

“…Two previous models proposed that anxiety and depression share the construct of negative affectivity, but differ with respect to the presence of neurophysiological arousal in anxious people and the lack of positive affectivity in depressed people. The high comorbidity of anxiety and depression in ALS, and the stronger correlation of depressive symptoms with trait anxiety rather than with state anxiety, foster the use of both STAI Form Y scales for grasping different facets of this construct.…”

“…A myotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a multi‐system neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive loss of upper and lower motor neurons . It may be associated with cognitive dysfunction and may affect psychological well‐being …”

“…1 It may be associated with cognitive dysfunction 2 and may affect psychological well-being. 3,4 Among psychological factors, anxiety is considered one of the major determinants of poor quality of life (QoL) in ALS, [5][6][7] especially of those aspects of the self-perceived well-being that are affected by disease or treatment (i.e., health-related QoL). 8 The prevalence estimates of anxiety in ALS range 0% to 68%.…”

Emotional Regulation in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

“…Emotional regulation has not often been studied in ALS. Most published studies have assessed the psychopathological manifestations involved in this disease, essentially depression and less frequently anxiety [1]. They have shown that major depressive or anxious episodes are not frequent in ALS patients, although moderate depressive or anxious symptoms are often observed [2], but less frequently than in other neurological diseases like multiple sclerosis or Parkinson's disease [3].…”