Depression and Anxiety in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS): A Systematic Review (In press)

Background: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is considered as one of the most prevalent chronic and progressive neurological diseases that has high simultaneity with some psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety; we examined depression and anxiety in people suffering from MS in this review study.  Methods: We conducted this study using a systematic review method relying on the search from January 2010 to December 2020 and also searched keywords of multiple sclerosis, MS, psychiatric issues, psychological disorders, psychological problems, anxiety, mental health, quality of life and depression in four online databases (PsycNET, PubMed and Scopus, Magiran). Ultimately, we selected 14 comprehensive papers that examined psychiatric disorders in patients with MS quantitatively and qualitatively to analyze them in order to achieved the wanted results. Results: A total of 14 studies was analyzed that included 27,106 patients with MS. The results achieved by the analytical studies explained that depression and anxiety are significantly higher in patients with MS compared to healthy people. The prevalence of depression and anxiety in MS patients has been reported to be heterogeneous. Conclusion: Data related to a large number of patients with MS show a high prevalence of depression and anxiety in them, but it is possible that not separating the symptoms from the disorder be misleading. Consequently, it is recommended to conduct further research in order to precisely assess the prevalence of depression and anxiety as a disorder in these patients. It is required that future studies consider more the use of clinical interviews instead of self-reported questionnaires, sample selection methods, and providing a complete report of patients' demographic and clinical information.