Psychopathology in Huntington's disease patients.
A retrospective study of 30 Huntington's disease families (110 patients: 75 alive and 35 dead) known to a regional genetic centre, using multiple sources of information, showed the minimum lifetime prevalence of depression to be 39% in the prodrome and the diagnosed disease phase of the illness. The frequency of symptomatic schizophrenia was found to be about 9% and significant personality changes were found in 72% of the sample, some of them leading to gross behavioural anomalies. The findings reinforce the point that depression and schizophrenia, unaccompanied or preceded by organic personality changes and/or very early neural symptoms, are unlikely to lead to the eventual manifestation of the disease.
Department of Psychiatry, Guy's Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
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D003704:Dementia / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D005817:Genetic Counseling; D006801:Humans; D006816:Huntington Disease / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology*; D019965:Neurocognitive Disorders / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology*; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D010552:Personality Assessment; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D010641:Phenotype; D012307:Risk Factors; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology