[Affective and schizophrenic syndromes in multiple sclerosis. Review of the literature and case reports]

Based on reports of three cases, the manic, depressive, schizophrenic and organic mental symptoms coincident to multiple sclerosis (MS) are described. The literature indicates an increased prevalence of psychiatric disturbances in MS. However, the relation between the psychiatric and the neurological disorders remains speculative. The temporal covariance and responsiveness to pharmacotherapy of the psychiatric and neurological symptoms of MS as well as the localisation of MS foci in diagnostic procedures (CT, MRI) are discussed in the light of the literature. The present authors hypothesize that every disturbance of the central nervous system (CNS), especially if chronic-inflammatory and multilocal, increases the probability that psychiatric symptoms will arise (as measured on a continuum ranging from "psychically conspicuous" to "psychically inconspicuous"). To this extent, then, MS would be comparable to other chronic-inflammatory CNS disorders such as AIDS, neuroborrelioses, syphilis and certain forms of viral encephalitis.