Assessing demoralization in medically ill patients: Factor structure of the Italian version of the demoralization scale and development of short versions with the item response theory framework.

Objective: Demoralization has been mostly investigated in oncology but is also relevant for patients with other physical illnesses. Our aims were to investigate the psychometric properties of the 24-item Italian version of the Demoralization Scale (DS-24) among medically ill inpatients, and to develop shorter versions for screening.

Methods: Four-hundred and seventy-three participants were recruited from medical wards of the University Hospital of Ferrara.

Beyond pain: can antidepressants improve depressive symptoms and quality of life in patients with neuropathic pain? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Neuropathic pain can be a predictor of severe emotional distress, up to full-blown depressive states. In these patients, it is important to move beyond the sole treatment of pain, to recognize depressive symptoms, and to ultimately improve the quality of life. We systematically searched for published and unpublished clinical trials assessing the efficacy and tolerability of antidepressants vs placebo on depression, anxiety and quality of life in patients with neuropathic pain, and pooled data in a meta-analysis.