Psychiatric disorders in patients with blepharospasm - a reactive pattern?

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the lifetime prevalence of all major psychiatric disorders in patients suffering from blepharospasm . Method: A total of 31 consecutive patients with blepharospasm attending t he Department of Neurology were interviewed at the Department of Psychiatry at the University-of Vienna. Patients had been submitted to standard neuro logical diagnostic procedures, psychiatric diagnoses were made with the hel p of the SCID, functional impairment was assessed by the General Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF). Results: A current or life-time psychiatric di agnosis was made for 22 patients (71%). The most frequent disorders were de pressive disorders, mainly major depression (five patients, 16.1%), seconda ry dysthymia (six patients, 19.3%), and recurrent major depression (five pa tients, 16.1%). A diagnosis of simple;phobia was made for seven patients (2 2.5%), for obsessive-compulsive disorder in three patients (9.6%). The mean GAF score of our sample was 63.1%. Conclusion: In contrast to previously p ublished results, we did not find a high rate of a single specific disorder or patterns in our study sample, though by the inclusion of life-time diag nostic criteria, the-majority of patients fulfilled criteria for at least o ne diagnosis. This might indicate the considerable negative impact of bleph arospasm on the patients' lives. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.