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Psychiatric morbidity in multiple sclerosis: a clinical and MRI study
1National Hospital for Nervous Diseases, London.
Psychological Medicine
|November 1, 1989
Summary
Psychiatric morbidity is common in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, affecting nearly half. While MRI abnormalities correlate with some symptoms like elation, they don't fully predict overall psychiatric disability.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Radiology
Background:
- Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disease.
- Psychiatric comorbidities are frequently observed in MS patients.
- The relationship between brain pathology and psychiatric symptoms in MS requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate psychiatric morbidity in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).
- To correlate psychiatric symptoms with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of brain pathology.
- To compare psychiatric morbidity in MS patients with physically disabled controls.
Main Methods:
- Assessed 116 definite MS patients for psychiatric morbidity using standardized interviews.
- Utilized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate brain pathology in MS patients.
- Included 48 physically disabled controls and 40 healthy volunteers for comparison.
Main Results:
- Psychiatric morbidity was significantly higher in the MS group, with almost half meeting case criteria.
- No evidence suggests psychiatric symptoms are the initial manifestation of MS.
- Elation correlated with widespread MRI abnormalities; temporo-parietal pathology linked to flattened affect, delusions, and thought disorder.
Conclusions:
- Psychiatric morbidity is a significant issue in multiple sclerosis.
- Specific psychiatric symptoms in MS are associated with distinct patterns of brain pathology.
- While MRI shows abnormalities, it does not fully predict global psychiatric disability in MS.