Obersvational Study on Effects of CPAP on Depressive Symptoms in OSAS

The official definition of depression or major depressive disorder, is a psychological disorder which is characterised by a persistent low mood or loss of interest in previously pleasurable activities, for over two weeks. It is one of the leading causes of disability world-wide and is one of the most common mental health disorders, affecting 5-10% of the world population at any one time. However, a major problem with this condition is the over-use of antidepressants. The number of anti-depressant prescriptions has doubled in the last decade and cost the NHS £780,000 per day in 2015. Many of the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) are similar to symptoms of depression, such as fatigue, low mood, difficulty concentrating and un-refreshing sleep. This means that patients could be misdiagnosed with depression and begin on courses of antidepressants which don't improve their symptoms. A very high association between OSAS and depression has been consistently recorded in research studies. Similarly, the primary treatment for OSAS, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) has been shown to significantly improve depressive symptoms in these patients. However, when studying the effects CPAP therapy has on patients with OSAS, one of the main factors which can cause differences is in antidepressant use. A lot of studies have excluded those who are on them, while quite a lot failed to note the antidepressant use. Therefore, this study aims to focus on those patients who are on antidepressant therapy but not gaining remission in their symptoms. These patients may be classed as anti-depressant treatment resistant.