Gastroenterologists' perceptions of need and availability of psychiatric services for patients with hepatitis C.

The authors examined gastroenterologists' perceptions of psychiatric comorbidity in hepatitis C, access to, and use of psychiatric services. An eight-item survey was mailed to gastroenterologists, with a total of 75 participating. Fifty-eight (77.

Preventing relapse of major depression during interferon-alpha therapy for hepatitis C--A pilot study.

Depression is common in hepatitis C, exacerbated by interferon, and is a major reason for discontinuing interferon therapy. We aimed to determine (1) whether patients with a history of major depression could complete a course of peginterferon alpha-2a and ribavirin if pretreated with escitalopram and (2) the relapse rate of depression during the course of therapy in these subjects. Ten patients were enrolled in the study and treated with escitalopram.