CMT, Depression, and Anxiety

It’s not surprising to learn from another study, more detailed than others I’ve seen (summarized at CMT News), that people with CMT were more likely than controls to screen positive for depression, especially with more severe versions of the disease, and many go “untreated.”¹ “Untreated” in this case means “unmedicated,” and there is a lot more that can be done to prevent or mitigate mood disorders than take medication. Those other approaches should be the preferred means of coping, if possible, especially in less severe cases. It’s unfortunate that other forms of “treatment” or the reasons for not using antidepressant or anti-anxiety drugs were not explored.

Correction, October 10, 2026: An earlier version of this post said people with CMT are “very often” dealing with depression and/or anxiety. In this study of 252 Italian patients and 56 controls, 10.3% of patients versus 1.8% of controls scored at or above the questionnaire threshold for moderate-to-severe depression, a significant difference. For anxiety (25.4% versus 14.4%) the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.083), and average scores did not differ from controls. These are screening thresholds on a self-report questionnaire, not clinical diagnoses.

I also look forward to studies that investigate the contributing causes and contexts for depression and anxiety in people with CMT. The study I’ve linked to above concerns an Italian population, so I wonder if this group might experience overall better health care and social inclusion than other populations, like those in North America, where those supports are often markedly strained or absent. That may be an increasing reality across the board these days.

My experience and anecdotal gatherings from others indicate the psychological burdens associated with CMT typically have to do with diminished or non-existent access to family, community, medical, and therapeutic supports. The ways in which many forms of CMT can develop and act subtly, the ways CMT can be hidden or “invisible,” and the ways “disability” classifications are often inadequate or in fact further disabling will inevitably create stressors, stigmas, and motives to deny or defer a need for special interventions or even diagnosis.

Notes

1. Bellofatto et al., “Anxiety and Depression.” Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) scores of 11 or more: depression 10.3% of patients vs. 1.8% of controls (p = 0.038); anxiety 25.4% vs. 14.4% (p = 0.083). Depressed patients had more severe disease, and about half of patients with depression and/or general distress received no specific drug treatment. ↩︎

If you’re in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 9-8-8 (Canada’s Suicide Crisis Helpline), any time.