Elderly Patients With Parkinson Disease Show High Rates of Anxiety and Depression

Elderly patients who have Parkinson disease show high rates of anxiety and depression significantly related to the severity of fatigue, wrote authors of research published in World Journal of Psychiatry. These findings emphasize the importance of psychological monitoring and targeting mental health interventions when managing Parkinson disease in older individuals.¹

When treating patients with Parkinson disease mental health comorbidities, pharmacists play a critical role in managing medication adverse effects (AEs) and dosing. Specifically, pharmacists should determine whether a patient’s AEs are related to the disease itself or from their treatment regimen, and they must recognize that, in addition to the disease itself, fatigue may result from medications used to treat Parkinson disease.

Although optimizing motor treatments generally does not improve fatigue, pharmacists must look beyond standard Parkinson disease medications, carefully screen for drug interactions in complex medication lists, advise patients to consult professionals before using supplements that may interfere with therapy, recommend antidepressants that relieve mood symptoms without worsening movement, and—in some cases—participate in cautious trials of low-dose stimulants. Because they often interact with patients more frequently than specialists, pharmacists are also well-positioned to monitor subtle signs of anxiety and depression and to advocate for addressing unmet psychological needs that can affect adherence, mobility, and overall quality of life.

In the elderly population, Parkinson disease is rather common. Nonmotor symptoms—such as anxiety, depression, and fatigue—are often subtle, but these can hinder early detection and intervention, thereby affecting patients’ quality of life and clinical outcomes. Unlike normal tiredness, Parkinson disease-related fatigue does not improve with rest or sleep, causes both mental and physical exhaustion, and can occur in any stage of the disease regardless of movement symptom severity.^1-3

Because it is imperative to address these symptoms to improve quality of life and understand how other treatments work, the researchers conducted their study to investigate the prevalence of anxiety and depression in elderly patients with Parkinson disease, identify associated risk factors, and assess their relationship with fatigue severity.¹

This cross-sectional analysis enrolled 123 elderly patients with Parkinson disease who were treated at The Second Rehabilitation Hospital of Shanghai between January 2023 and December 2024. Using standardized questionnaires, the patients’ demographic and clinical data were obtained. Additionally, the severity of anxiety, depression, and fatigue was assessed using the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and Fatigue Scale-14 (FS-14), respectively. Binary logistic regression identified risk factors for anxiety and depression, whereas Spearman's correlation assessed associations with fatigue.¹

The results indicated that anxiety and depression prevalence rates were approximately 64.2% (mean BAI score: 19.59 ± 10.92) and 56.1% (mean GDS score: 12.82 ± 6.37), respectively. For fatigue, the mean FS-14 total score was about 9.46 ± 1.89, which comprised both physical (5.77 ± 1.51) and mental (3.69 ± 1.20) fatigue components. Significant positive correlations were observed between fatigue scores (total, physical, and mental) and both anxiety and depression (all P < 0.05), wrote the authors.¹

Further, the univariate analysis revealed statistically significant associations between anxiety and depression and monthly income, disease duration, and disease severity (all P < 0.05), whereas multivariate logistic regression indicated higher anxiety risk in those with a lower monthly income, prolonged disease duration, advanced disease severity, or multimorbidity. Depression risk was elevated in patients who had lower monthly income and severe disease, whereas longer disease duration unexpectedly served as a protective factor.¹

REFERENCES

1. Yang MN, Peng XY, Chen YP. Association between anxiety, depression, and fatigue in elderly patients with Parkinson's disease. World J Psychiatry. 2026;16(1):109403. Published 2026 Jan 19. doi:10.5498/wjp.v16.i1.109403

2. Depression & anxiety. The Michael J. Fox Foundation. Accessed January 26, 2026. https://www.michaeljfox.org/symptoms/depression-anxiety

3. Fatigue. Parkinson’s Foundation. Accessed January 26, 2026. https://www.parkinson.org/understanding-parkinsons/non-movement-symptoms/fatigue