BACKGROUND: Despite the development of multi-drug regimens for HIV, palliative care and quality-of-life issues in patients with advanced AIDS remain important areas of clinical investigation. OBJECTIVE: Authors assessed the impact of treatment for depression on desire for hastened death in patients with advanced AIDS. METHOD: Patients with advanced AIDS (N=372) were interviewed shortly after admission to a palliative-care facility, and were reinterviewed monthly for the next 2 months. Patients diagnosed with a major depressive syndrome were provided with antidepressant treatment and reinterviewed weekly. Desire for hastened death was assessed with two questionnaire measures. RESULTS: Desire for death was highly associated with depression, and it decreased dramatically in patients who responded to antidepressant treatment. Little change in desire for hastened death was observed in patients whose depression did not improve. Although improved depression was not significantly associated with the use of antidepressant medication, those individuals prescribed antidepressant medication showed the largest decreases in desire for hastened death. DISCUSSION: Successful treatment for depression appears to substantially decrease desire for hastened death in patients with advanced AIDS. The authors discuss implications of these findings for palliative-care treatment and the physician-assisted suicide debate.
BACKGROUND: Despite the development of multi-drug regimens for HIV, palliative care and quality-of-life issues in patients with advanced AIDS remain important areas of clinical investigation. OBJECTIVE: Authors assessed the impact of treatment for depression on desire for hastened death in patients with advanced AIDS. METHOD:Patients with advanced AIDS (N=372) were interviewed shortly after admission to a palliative-care facility, and were reinterviewed monthly for the next 2 months. Patients diagnosed with a major depressive syndrome were provided with antidepressant treatment and reinterviewed weekly. Desire for hastened death was assessed with two questionnaire measures. RESULTS: Desire for death was highly associated with depression, and it decreased dramatically in patients who responded to antidepressant treatment. Little change in desire for hastened death was observed in patients whose depression did not improve. Although improved depression was not significantly associated with the use of antidepressant medication, those individuals prescribed antidepressant medication showed the largest decreases in desire for hastened death. DISCUSSION: Successful treatment for depression appears to substantially decrease desire for hastened death in patients with advanced AIDS. The authors discuss implications of these findings for palliative-care treatment and the physician-assisted suicide debate.
Authors: Barry Rosenfeld; William Breitbart; Christopher Gibson; Michael Kramer; Alexis Tomarken; Christian Nelson; Hayley Pessin; Julie Esch; Michele Galietta; Nerina Garcia; John Brechtl; Michael Schuster Journal: Psychosomatics Date: 2006 Nov-Dec Impact factor: 2.386
Authors: Peter L Hudson; Linda J Kristjanson; Michael Ashby; Brian Kelly; Penelope Schofield; Rosalie Hudson; Sanchia Aranda; Margaret O'Connor; Annette Street Journal: Palliat Med Date: 2006-10 Impact factor: 4.762
Authors: Leonard L Sokol; Jonathan P Troost; Benzi M Kluger; Allison J Applebaum; Jane S Paulsen; Danny Bega; Samuel Frank; Joshua M Hauser; Nicholas R Boileau; Colin A Depp; David Cella; Noelle E Carlozzi Journal: Ann Clin Transl Neurol Date: 2021-07-20 Impact factor: 4.511