Abstract
Psychiatric and substance use disorders affect most patients with chronic hepatitis C and are the most common reasons for exclusion from antiviral therapies. Suicidal ideation (SI) is often cited as a reason to exclude patients from interferon-based treatment or to terminate antiviral treatment that is in progress. This study examines SI in hepatitis C patients untreated and treated with interferon-α2b, a medication commonly associated with depression. Fifty-five subjects with chronic hepatitis C were followed for 24 weeks with three measures of depression, each containing one item assessing SI. A total of 15/55 (27%) subjects reported SI while not on interferon therapy. Of the 42 patients treated with interferon, 18 (43%) endorsed SI at some point during antiviral treatment. However, 17/18 (94%) finished at least a 6-month course of interferon therapy. No subjects attempted suicide. Although SI in some form is common in hepatitis C patients, in most cases it is mild in nature. With adequate support most patients can successfully complete a full course of antiviral treatment.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 237-240 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | General Hospital Psychiatry |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 2004 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work was supported by the Minneapolis Hepatitis C Resource Center, the Research Service of the Department of Veterans Affairs and an unrestricted grant form Schering-Plough. The following people made substantial contributions to the study: Kristen Phillips, Gunnar Larson, Arnold Valerius, William Townsend.
UN SDGs
This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
-
SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
Keywords
- Depression
- Hepatitis C
- Interferon
- Psychiatric disorders
- Suicidal ideation
Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics of 'Suicidal ideation during interferon-α2b and ribavirin treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Cite this
- APA
- Standard
- Harvard
- Vancouver
- Author
- BIBTEX
- RIS