Efficacy and Safety of Escitalopram for Prevention of Depression Induced by Peg-Interferon in Hepatitis C Patients

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients with chronic hepatitis C who are going to initiate treatment with peginterferon alfa2a + ribavirin. * Age 18-65 years. * Signed informed consent. * If female, they are not in fertile period or they use barrier contraceptives. * Patients able to understand and fill written questionnaires. Exclusion Criteria: * Hepatic cirrhosis or carcinoma. * Less than 4000/mm3 leucocytes, or less than 70000/mm3 platelets. * Hemoglobin less than 11 g/dL (females) or 12 (males). * Any risk factor for hemolysis. * Comorbid severe medical conditions (kidney, immune system, lung, heart, thyroid, etc). * Baseline mental disorders that require antidepressants (depressive disorders and anxiety disorders). * Other baseline mental disorders (delirium, substance use disorders). * Mental disorders at any time (dementia, psychotic disorders, bipolar disorders. * Contraindications of escitalopram (hypersensibility, diabetes, patients using serotoninergic agents, drugs that enhance the risk of bleeding, or monoamineoxidase inhibitors -MAOIs-).