“Psychotherapy is an important option for treating depression in Parkinson’s. Healthcare providers should consider recommending it alone or in combination with antidepressants,” says Dr. David GrimesInterpersonal psychotherapy may be better than other types of psychotherapy for treating depression in Parkinson’s disease, according to the first clinical trial of its kind. People with Parkinson’s often experience depression, but there’s been little research to show what type of psychotherapy works best. 

Dr. David Grimes led a clinical trial published in Movement Disorders that compared interpersonal psychotherapy, which focuses on adjusting to changing roles and relationships, with a more general form of psychotherapy called nondirective supportive therapy. 

Sixty-three people with Parkinson’s and depression recruited from The Ottawa Hospital were randomly assigned to one of the two types of psychotherapy for 12 sessions. Both groups had fewer depression symptoms after the last session, but the interpersonal psychotherapy group had significantly lower depression scores. 

“Psychotherapy is an important option for treating depression in Parkinson’s. Healthcare providers should consider recommending it alone or in combination with antidepressants,” says Dr. Grimes, Director of the Parkinson's disease and Movement Disorders Clinic at The Ottawa Hospital and Division Head of Neurology at the University of Ottawa.

Authors: Diana Koszycki, Monica Taljaard, Jacques Bradwejn, Caroline Lee MSc, Giorgio A. Tasca, David A. Grimes

Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Core resources: Ottawa Methods Centre

The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa and supported by The Ottawa Hospital Foundation.