Assessing psychological distress in patients with facial paralysis using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale

Objectives: Anxiety and depression are seen among patients with facial paralysis (FP), but less is known about the exact prevalence. The aim of the current study is to assess the prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders in the FP population and to investigate possible differences between patients with left- and right-sided FP. Methods: Fifty-nine patients with FP and 59 healthy individuals were included in this study between March and December of 2014. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was used to assess the prevalence of anxiety and depression among these groups. Results: The mean age of the patients and controls was 56 +/- 15 and 40 +/- 16 years, respectively. Twenty-eight patients had left- sided FP, 30 patients had right-sided FP, and one patient had bilateral FP. In the patient group, approximately 30% had anxiety and 25% had a depressive disorder. Compared with the control group, significantly more patients presented with mild anxiety (p = 0.031), mild depression (p = 0.047), and moderate depression (p = 0.006). No significant differences were found in terms of the prevalence of anxiety between left- and right-sided FP. However, significantly more patients with left- sided FP had mild depression (p = 0.018) than those with right-sided FP. Conclusion: This study found a significant difference in anxiety and depression between patients with FP and healthy controls. No clinically significant difference was noted in the prevalence of anxiety or depression between patients with left- and right-sided FP. (C) 2016 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.