Psychiatric comorbidity in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the prevalence of psychiatric disturbances among patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME).


METHODS
Forty-three patients with JME (22 female, 21 male, mean age 32.4+/-13, range 15-63) were assessed by means of the Structured Clinical Interviews for DSM-IV (SCID-I and SCID-II). Current and lifetime psychiatric diagnoses were assigned.


RESULTS
Thirty-five percent of the JME patients suffered from one or more psychiatric disorders (Axis I and Axis II). Personality disorders were present in 23% and Axis I disorders in 19%. Altogether, 47% had a psychiatric disorder at any time of their life.


CONCLUSIONS
Psychiatric diagnoses are slightly higher than in representative community samples. The substantially increased number of personality disorders in JME patients might be attributed to frontal lobe deficits.
Trinka
Eugen
E
Department of Neurology, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria. eugen.trinka@uklibk.ac.at
Kienpointner
Gudrun
G
Unterberger
Iris
I
Luef
Gerhard
G
Bauer
Gerhard
G
Doering
Lisa Bartha
LB
Doering
Stephan
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D001317:Austria / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D017034:Epilepsy, Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D020190:Myoclonic Epilepsy, Juvenile / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data