In the first study of its kind, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill looked at patients with rheumatoid arthritis to see if they experience depression and whether or not they discuss their depression with their doctors.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common form of chronic inflammatory arthritis, which is a debilitating disease characterized by inflammation of joint tissues, persistent pain, functional disability, stiffness and fatigue.
Researchers found that almost 11 percent of RA patients had moderately severe to severe symptoms of depression and that only one in five of the patients who showed symptoms of depression discussed it with their rheumatologists. Those who did were always the ones to bring up the topic, not the physician. When depression was brought up, it was often not discussed at any length.
The study included 200 arthritis patients from four rheumatology clinics with eight participating doctors. Patient visits were audiotaped, and patients were interviewed after their medical visits using a questionnaire to assess depressive symptoms.
“Chronic diseases can greatly affect a patient’s psychosocial well-being, and depression can also affect a patient’s adherence to treatment regimens,” said Betsy Sleath, PhD, a professor at the UNC School of Pharmacy, who led the study. “Since many arthritis patients see their rheumatologist more often then their primary-care physician, we recommend that rheumatologists take steps to screen patients for signs of depression.”
In a new study titled “Communication about Depression during Rheumatoid Arthritis Patient Visits” will be published in February’s issue of Arthritis Care & Research.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill