【Abstract】 Objective To evaluate psychological factors in the pathogenesis of uremic encephalopathy. Methods We recruited 23 chronic kidney disease patients with uremic encephalopathy (CKD at 5th stage) as the illness group (group A), and 23 CKD patients without uremic encephalopathy as the control group (group B). Their psychological problems were evaluated by using the symptom checklist 90 (SCL-90), self-rating depression scale (SDS) and self-rating anxiousness scale (SAS) before the presence of uremic encephalopathy. Results The illness group had significant higher scores of SCL-90 in global indices and every symptom scales, SDS and SAS evaluations (P＜0.01 or P＜0.05, as compared with those of the control group). Patients in the illness group had higher positive rates in SCL-90 scores of global indices and symptom scales of somatization, obsession, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety and phobia, as well as higher scores of SDS and SAS (OR 3.56～7.39; P＜0.01 or P＜0.05, as compared with those of the control group). Conclusion Negative emotional changes such as depression and anxiety may be the risk factors for the presence of uremic encephalopathy in CKD patients