DSM-III-R CLASSIFICATION OF PSYCHIATRIC-SYMPTOMS IN SYSTEMIC LUPUS-ERYTHEMATOSUS

DSM-III-R criteria applied in the evaluation of 88 systemic lupus eryt hematosus patients revealed a point prevalence rate of 18.2% for psych iatric disorders, the most common diagnosis being adjustment disorder (11.4%), No patients had disorders compatible with a functional psycho sis. Psychiatric morbidity was not associated with increased disease a ctivity, corticosteroid use, brain magnetic resonance imaging abnormal ities, or electroencephalogram abnormalities. High scores on a life ev ent scale were associated with psychiatric disorders, suggesting that psychosocial stress is etiologically important. Cognitive testing show ed that poor performance on the Stroop Colour-Word Inference Test was associated with psychiatric disorders.