ABSTRACT
AIM: To study prospectively the psychiatric side effects of interferon-alpha in patients with hepatitis C. METHODS: Sixty-three consecutive patients at a hepatitis clinic were recruited. All were assessed using a psychiatric interview (SCID) and monitored using a self-reporting psychiatric symptom questionnaire (SCL-90). RESULTS: Patients on interferon did not suffer a drop in mood or an increase in anxiety or irritability. The subgroup with past depression also did not suffer an increase in depressive symptoms. No patients attempted suicide. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of serious psychiatric symptoms when being treated with interferon-alpha may not be high. Psychiatric illness or the possibility of psychiatric complications should not be used as a reason to refuse this treatment to patients with hepatitis C.
