Psychiatric and somatic morbidity in patients with suspected multiple chemical sensitivity

Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) or idiopathic environmental intolerance (IEI) is understood as an acquired disorder with multiple recurrent sympto ms that cannot be traced to any well-known medical or psychiatric condition and is associated with diverse environmental influences that a re well tol erated by the majority of people. In a prospective study,we investigated 12 0 consecutive patients admitted a university-based outpatient department fo r environmental medicine during 1 year. Apart from routine medical examinat ion and special toxicological diagnostic procedures,a structured clinical i nterview for DSM-IV psychiatric disorders was performed with every patient. At least one psychiatric diagnosis was found in 100 patients. The diagnost ic criteria for somatoform disorders were filled by 53 patients. We found l ifetime or current affective disorders in 39 patients, anxiety disorders in 29, and substance dependency or abuse in 25. In 16 patients, personality d isorders were diagnosed. Nine suffered from psychotic disorders. This is th e largest prospective study with standardized psychiatric diagnostic method s concerning psychiatric morbidity and MCS. The data show that many patient s with environmental health problems obviously suffer from somatoform disor ders but also from other, well-known psychiatric conditions.