Psychiatric symptoms associated with scleroderma.
BACKGROUND
The prevalence of psychiatric symptoms and hostility factors in patients with scleroderma, although a matter of clinical interest, it is rather poorly studied.


METHODS
Thirty female patients with scleroderma were investigated. Thirty-three healthy women were used as a comparison group. The applied psychometric instruments were the Hostility and Direction of Hostility Questionnaire (HDHQ), the Delusions Symptoms States Inventory/states of Anxiety and Depression (DSSI/sAD) and the Symptom Check List-90R (SCL-90R).


RESULTS
The scleroderma patients reported significantly increased depression and anxiety, somatization, interpersonal sensitivity and obsessive-compulsiveness. Paranoid ideation and psychotic symptoms scores were also increased. On hostility, they presented significantly higher scores predominantly on guilt.


CONCLUSIONS
Psychiatric symptomatology in the form of anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsiveness, somatization and feelings of guilt were reported by the majority of the patients with scleroderma.
Angelopoulos
N V
NV
Department of Psychiatry, Medical School, University of Thessalia, Larissa, Greece. nikifang@med.uth.gr
Drosos
A A
AA
Moutsopoulos
H M
HM
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000523:psychology*; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires