Objective: To compare the quality of life (QoL) and psychiatric comorbidities of patients with functional (psychogenic) movement disorders (FMD) and patients with organic movements disorders (OMD).

Background: FMD patients often report disability and have psychiatric comorbidities. However, few studies have compared QoL and psychiatric comorbidities in FMD and in OMD.

Methods: 30 and 21 FMD patients were compared to 30 sex- and age-matched parkinsonian patients and 21 sex- and age-matched dystonic patients respectively. QoL was assessed using the Parkinson’s Disease Summary Index (PDSI) and the Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS). Psychiatric comorbidities and traumatic events were screened with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Composite International Diagnostic Interview questionnaire.

Results: QoL was as altered in FMD as in Parkinson’s disease on PDSI (38.3 vs 32.2; p=0.61) and SDS (18.0 vs 13.5; p=0.37). QoL was more altered in FMD than in dystonia on PDSI (42.1 vs 25.1; p=0.003) but not on SDS (19.0 vs 15.0; p=0.28). Moreover, FMD patients were more often unemployed because of their condition than parkinsonian patients (53.3% vs 13.3%; p=0.005) and dystonic patients (61.9% vs 14.3%; p=0.01). FMD and PD patients presented a similar occurrence of anxiety (40% vs 43%; p=1.0), depression (23% vs 30%; p=0.77) and traumatic events (73% vs 67%; p=0.75). FMD and dystonic patients presented a similar occurrence of anxiety (43% vs 57%; p=0.58), depression (33% vs 29%; p=0.77) and traumatic events (71% vs 57%; p=0.58). FMD patients reported more sexual abuses than PD patients (23% vs 0%; p=0.02) and a similar trend was observed in comparison between FMD and dystonic patients (29% vs 5%; p=0.13).

Conclusions: In our study, FMD patients presented with a similar occurrence of psychiatric comorbidities and a similar to greater alteration in QoL compared to OMD patients. In this regard, there is a need for global management in FMD.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/quality-of-life-and-psychiatric-comorbidities-comparisons-in-patients-with-functional-psychogenic-and-organic-movement-disorders/