Mental symptoms in Parkinson's disease are important contributors to caregiver distress

Objective. To determine the emotional and social distress of caring for a p atient with Parkinson's disease and to explore the impact of motor and ment al symptoms in subjects with Parkinson's disease on their caregivers' situa tion. Design. Cross-sectional, population-based study using self-report questionn aires to measure caregiver distress and rating scales to assess patient sym ptomatology. Setting. Neurology and old age psychiatry services in Stavanger, Norway. Subject. Caregivers of 94 home-dwelling patients with Parkinson's disease. Two control groups (patients with diabetes mellitus and healthy elderly). Outcome measurements. Measures of social and emotional distress in caregive rs, including the Relative Stress Scale, Beck Depression Inventory and the General Health Questionnaire. Results. Caregivers, in particular spouses, had more severe depression and a higher proportion reporting tiredness, sadness and less satisfaction with life compared with healthy elderly subjects. Using linear regression analy sis, patient predictors of caregiver distress were depression, functional a nd cognitive impairment, agitation, aberrant motor behaviour and delusions. Conclusions. Caring for a spouse with Parkinson's disease is associated wit h emotional and social distress, underlining the importance of also assessi ng the needs of carers. Mental symptoms of parkinsonian patients were the m ost consistent and powerful predictors of caregiver distress, suggesting th at identification and treatment sf mental symptoms may reduce distress in c aregivers of subjects with Parkinson's disease. Copyright (C) 1999 John Wil ey & Sons, Ltd.