Anxiety, depression, and hopelessness in patients before and after treatment for peripheral facial paralysis

Fatih Arslan, MD; Mert Cemal Gokgoz, MD; Murat Binar, MD; Emre Aydemir, MD; Abdullah Durmaz, MD

Abstract

We conducted a prospective study to investigate the effectiveness of pharmacologic treatment on alleviating facial paralysis, as well as the anxiety and depression that are associated with it. Our study population was made up of 105 patients-59 men and 46 women, aged 18 to 60 years (mean: 38.2)-who had acute idiopathic peripheral facial paralysis. Before treatment, paralysis was classified as House-Brackmann grade II or III in 44 patients (41.9%) and grade IV to VI in the remaining 61 (58.1%). After treatment, 73 patients (69.5%) improved to grade I, 29 (27.6%) were at grade II or III, and only 3 (2.9%) remained at grade IV or higher. Mean scores on the Beck anxiety inventory, the Beck depression inventory, and the Beck hopelessness scale were 20.30, 19.75, and 7.57, respectively, before treatment and 5.72, 5.68, and 2.85 afterward; the difference in all three measures was statistically significant (p < 0.001). We found no correlation between the degree of facial paralysis and anxiety levels (r = 0.094, p = 0.338) or depression levels (r = 0.181, p = 0.064). Clinicians should consider asking patients with peripheral facial paralysis about their feelings of anxiety, depression, and hopelessness and refer them for a psychiatric consultation if necessary.

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