Evaluation of psychopathology in patients with paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia

A higher prevalence of anxiety- and depression-related symptoms are expected in patients with at least one somatic disease and who are on medications compared with the general population.

To determine if patients with paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) show a higher prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms compared with a control population. The induction of depressive symptoms by beta-blockers or calcium channel blockers was also evaluated.

Twenty-five patients (17 women, eight men) with documented PSVT (atrioventricular re-entrant tachycardia or atrioventricular nodal re-entrant tachycardia) were evaluated by a battery of questionnaires and inventories, which provide information about the presence of symptoms of anxiety and/or depression. All patients were examined by a psychiatrist and completed the following five scales: Symptom Checklist-90, Hamilton Anxiety Scale, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Zung's Self-Rating Depression Scale and Beck Self-Assessment Depression Scale.

The majority of the evaluations (Hamilton Anxiety Scale, Beck Self-Assessment Depression Scale, Zung's Self-Rating Depression Scale), did not show a higher incidence of severe symptoms of depression in the group of patients with PSVT. However, the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale rated the symptoms of depression as significant, but the score was low enough to be considered nonsignificant. According to the Symptom Checklist-90, men perceived the presence of the cardiological disease more intensively and more negatively than women (P=0.1). Psychiatric history and therapy with psychopharmacological agents were comparable in both groups. It was noted that patients had sporadic contacts with a psychiatrist or a psychologist, but this was not directly associated with PSVT.