title: Severe essential tremor compared with Parkinson's disease in male veterans: diagnostic characteristics, treatment, and psychosocial complications.
abstract: Essential tremor (ET), more common than Parkinson's disease (PD), has commonly been considered "benign." This investigation compared diagnostic characteristics, patient satisfaction with treatment, and psychosocial complications between a group of male patients treated for essential tremor and a group of male parkinsonian patients. Those who had ET tended to be more commonly misdiagnosed than those with PD. Fewer ET patients were satisfied with response to treatment than PD patients. Both groups equally expressed embarrassment about their condition, and both perceived similar difficulties with common activities of daily living and social situations. There were no significant differences between ET and PD patients for history of ethanol use or pharmacotherapy for anxiety or depression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock.
authors.forename: W S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Metzer
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012917:Social Adjustment; D014202:Tremor / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D014728:Veterans