title: Neuropsychiatric disorders in persons with severe traumatic brain injury: prevalence, phenomenology, and relationship with demographic, clinical, and functional features.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To characterize neuropsychiatric symptoms in a large group of individuals with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to correlate these symptoms with demographic, clinical, and functional features.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), a frequently used scale to assess behavioral, emotional, and motivational disorders in persons with neurological diseases, was administered to a sample of 120 persons with severe TBI. Controls were 77 healthy subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A wide range of neuropsychiatric symptoms was found in the population with severe TBI: apathy (42%), irritability (37%), dysphoria/depressed mood (29%), disinhibition (28%), eating disturbances (27%), and agitation (24%). A clear relationship was also found with other demographic and clinical variables.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neuropsychiatric disorders constitute an important part of the comorbidity in populations with severe TBI. Our study emphasizes the importance of integrating an overall assessment of cognitive disturbances with a specific neuropsychiatric evaluation to improve clinical understanding and treatment of persons with TBI.
authors.affiliation: IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy. p.ciurli@hsantalucia.it
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ciurli
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Formisano
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Bivona
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cantagallo
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Angelelli
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult