Psychological and Psychopathological Reactions in Relation to Chronic Hemodialysis

The relationship of depression to survival in chronic renal failure.

“…Examination of patient data reveals depression to be a common psychiatric complication of renal replacement therapy (12)(13)(14). The data further show a wide range of findings on the reported incidence and severity of depression.…”

Hyperprolactinemia and Psychological Distress in Women Undergoing Chronic Hemodialysis

“…In particular, depression [6,8] and anxiety [1] have been reported among these patients. Although in a sample of 82 patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis mean anxiety and depression scores were found to be significantly higher than those of normal subjects, differences in scores were surprisingly small, especially when com pared with those of psychiatric patients [9].…”

The Psychological Aspects of Chronic Hemodialysis*

“…(24) Sexual Problems Levy's (23) national survey showed that hemodialysis patients of both sexes (but particularly men) reported substantial deterioration in sexual functioning and, citing Abram's unpublished study of thirty-two patients, he reported that the frequency of sexual intercourse per month was 10.4 before developing uremia, 5.7 after uremia and before hemodialysis, and 4.0 while on hemodialysis. Lefebvre, Nobert and Crombez (22) attributed impotence directly to the dialysis, which they observed had an emasculating effect on many patients. In contrast, Elstein, Smith and Curtis (5) reported that pregnancy occurred in wives of three of their twenty-five male patients and most of them reported that libido returned to a premorbid level (that which was recognized as normal before uremia).…”