Depression in patients with chronic kidney disease on dialysis in Saudi Arabia.

Objective: Patients with chronic kidney disease on hemodialysis experience considerable psychological stress due to physical and social changes brought on by illness, increasing the risk of depressive disorder (DD). We examined the prevalence of DD and depressive symptoms, identified treatments for depression, and determined baseline demographic, social/behavioral, physical, and psychological correlates.

Methods: A convenience sample of 310 dialysis patients in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was screened for DD using the Structured Clinical Interview for Depression and for depressive symptoms using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS).