Abstract
Despite effective treatment, asthma outcomes remain suboptimal. Anxiety and depression occur more commonly in people with asthma than expected, and are associated with poor asthma outcomes. The direction of the relationship and the mechanisms underlying it are uncertain. Whether screening for and treating co-morbid anxiety and depression can improve asthma outcomes is unclear from the current evidence. Primary care clinicians treating asthma should be aware of the possibility of psychological dysfunction in asthmatics, particularly those with poor control. Further research is required to assess the importance of detecting and treating these conditions in community asthma care.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
The manuscript was drafted by MT with suggestions and contributions from the other authors
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
MT is an Associate Editor of the PCRJ, but was not involved in the editorial review of, nor the decision to publish, this article
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Thomas, M., Bruton, A., Moffatt, M. et al. Asthma and psychological dysfunction. Prim Care Respir J 20, 250–256 (2011). https://doi.org/10.4104/pcrj.2011.00058
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4104/pcrj.2011.00058