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Psychiatric comorbidity in multiple sclerosis
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Abstract
Aim: To study the prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities in patients of multiple sclerosis
and their association to the degree of disability.
Method: Psychiatric symptoms were assessed in 90 patients of multiple sclerosis using GHQ-12, MMSE, HADS, Beck Depression Inventory and AUDIT. Neurological disability was
assessed using Expanded Disability Status Scale. Correlations were determined between EDSS scores and psychiatric scale scores.
Result: 61% of patients had significant psychological distress. Depression was most common (38.8%) which was followed by anxiety symptoms (27.8%). Cognitive functioning was relatively intact in patients with mild to moderate neurological disability. Alcohol abuse
was mostly restricted to male gender.
Conclusion: Psychiatric illness is highly prevalent in patients of multiple sclerosis leading to poor quality of life and significant distress. Psychiatric disability was higher in patients who had greater deterioration in neurological function. All cases of MS should be assessed for psychiatric morbidities as can be alleviated by appropriate intervention.
Abstract
Aim: To study the prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities in patients of multiple sclerosis
and their association to the degree of disability.
Method: Psychiatric symptoms were assessed in 90 patients of multiple sclerosis using GHQ-12, MMSE, HADS, Beck Depression Inventory and AUDIT. Neurological disability was
assessed using Expanded Disability Status Scale. Correlations were determined between EDSS scores and psychiatric scale scores.
Result: 61% of patients had significant psychological distress. Depression was most common (38.8%) which was followed by anxiety symptoms (27.8%). Cognitive functioning was relatively intact in patients with mild to moderate neurological disability. Alcohol abuse
was mostly restricted to male gender.
Conclusion: Psychiatric illness is highly prevalent in patients of multiple sclerosis leading to poor quality of life and significant distress. Psychiatric disability was higher in patients who had greater deterioration in neurological function. All cases of MS should be assessed for psychiatric morbidities as can be alleviated by appropriate intervention.
Keywords
Multiple sclerosis, Psychiatric morbidity, Neurological disability
About this articleTitle
Psychiatric comorbidity in multiple sclerosis
Journal
Neurologia i Neurochirurgia Polska
Issue
Pages
704-709
Published online
2019-11-05
Page views
490
Article views/downloads
485
Pubmed
Bibliographic record
Neurol Neurochir Pol 2018;52(6):704-709.
Keywords
Multiple sclerosis
Psychiatric morbidity
Neurological disability
Authors
S.P. Panda
R.C. Das
Kalpana Srivastava
Ashutosh Ratnam
Neha Sharma
