title: Psychiatric diagnoses in Gulf War veterans with fatiguing illness.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine whether Gulf War Illness (GWI) can be explained by the presence of psychiatric disorders as assessed by DSM-III-R. To reduce the heterogeneity amongst Persian Gulf War veterans with GWI (PGV-F), only those were studied who presented with severe fatigue as a major complaint and also fulfilled clinical case definitions for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Idiopathic Chronic Fatigue, and/or Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. A total of 95 Registry PGVs were examined; 53 presented with GWI and 42 did not report any post-war health problems (PGV-H). All subjects were assessed for the presence of DSM-III-R Axis I psychiatric disorders. Compared to PGV-Hs, 49% of PGV-Fs had similar post-war psychiatric profiles: either no, or only one, psychiatric disorder was diagnosed. Psychiatric profiles of the remaining 51% of PGV-Fs were significantly different from PGV-Hs in that most of these veterans suffered from multiple post-war psychiatric diagnoses. The presence of psychiatric disorders as assessed by DSM-III-R criteria cannot explain symptoms of Gulf War Illness among all Persian Gulf veterans with severe fatiguing illness.
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Hazards Research, VA Medical Center, East Orange, NJ, USA. langegu@umdnj.edu
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lange
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tiersky
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: DeLuca
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peckerman
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pollet
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Policastro
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Scharer
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Ottenweller
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fiedler
authors.forename: B H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Natelson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003130:Combat Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D015897:Comorbidity; D015673:Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D008877:Middle East; D018923:Persian Gulf Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*