Patterns and predictors of mental health service utilization in people with Parkinson's disease

Comorbid psychiatric complications are a common occurrence in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the majority of people with PD experiencing mental health problems do not receive any professional treatment.

A total of 327 Australian adults with PD completed a cross-sectional survey examining patterns of mental health service utilization and predictors of willingness to seek future mental health treatment.

Only 8% of participants were currently engaged in mental health treatment despite elevated levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms. The lifetime service use rate was also low at 24%. Logistic regression analysis showed that, second to prior treatment experience (odds ratio [OR] = 3.28, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.46-7.35), having had a discussion about psychological symptoms with a primary PD neurologist was the next most important predictor and tripled the likelihood of an individual being willing to seek future treatment, (OR = 3.01, 95% CI = 1.72-5.27).

This study highlights the integral role of the PD neurologist in facilitating awareness and treatment of mental health problems for individuals with PD.