PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AND PSYCHOPATHOLOG Y IN SPASMODIC TORTICOLLIS - CLINICAL-ASSESSMENT AND PSYCHOMETRIC FINDINGS

In a previous study screening for psychopathological symptoms in a sam ple of 256 patients with spasmodic torticollis had resulted in 27% of patients, whose mean score of the GSI of the SCL-90-R was above the do uble standard deviation of the control group of normals (Scheidt et al . 1994). In this study the self-reported psychopathology of a subsampl e of 19 TS patients was controlled for its agreement with a clinical a ssessment in a psychiatric interview. The results of the study confirm the validity of the SCL-90-R as a screening instrument for psychologi cal distress and psychopathology. However a tendency for social desira bility in a subgroup of patients might lead to underestimate the degre e of psychological distress in this patient group and might als accoun t for some of the discrepant findings concerning psychological distres s and psychopathology in TS in former studies. Furthermore the clinica l assessment revealed a high psychiatric and psychosomatic morbidity p rior to the onset of the spasmodic torticollis as well as a high frequ ency of traumatic life events (e.g. bereavement) in the patients premo rbid history. In addition to coping with a crippling neurological cond ition concurrent psychopathology in TS therefore should be considered also in terms of the individuals premorbid psychological vulnerability .