Implications of depression in rheumatoid arthritis: Do subtypes really matter?

Objective. To examine depressive disorders and health status in patients wi th rheumatoid arthritis (RA), controlling for potential confounds. Method, Subjects (n = 426) completed measures of depressive symptoms (Cente r for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale [CES-D]) and health status ( Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales 2 [AIMS2]), via cross-sectional survey. Subjects (n = 299) with few depressive symptoms (CES-D less than or equal to 10) were not evaluated further. Subjects with CES-D greater than or equa l to 11 were interviewed using the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disord ers to diagnose major depressive disorder (MDD; n = 46), dysthymic disorder (DD; n = 21), or minor depressive disorder (MND; n = 18). Results. Regression analyses examined differences between the depressive di sorders on AIMS2 subscales. Health status scores were similar between the d epressive disorder subcategories; significant differences were found betwee n MDD and MND on AIMS2 Physical scores and MDD and DD on AIMS2 Symptom scor es. Conclusion. Regarding health status, presence of depression itself seems to overshadow differences between depression subtypes; antidepressant treatme nts/referrals for persons with concomitant RA and any depressive disorder s ubtype appear warranted.