Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate psychiatric manifestations of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and to establish statistical links with sociodemographic and clinical PD characteristics.

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD), originally called “paralysis agitans”, is commonly known by motor and non-motor symptoms. Among various non-motor manifestations, psychiatric disturbances still underdiagnosed despite their frequency and disabling character.

Method: We performed a prospective population-based study of patients followed in the department of Neurology of Charles Nicolle hospital of Tunisia for PD with MMSE score > 24. All patients were interviewed during regularly scheduled follow-up visits, clinical PD stage were identified (prodromal (P-PD) and clinical phases (C-PD) and psychological symptoms were assessed using Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale-Expanded (BPRS-E). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 18.

Results: Thirty patients with sex ratio M/F above 0.66 were enrolled in our study with mean age of 64.17 years old. All patients had anxious symptoms (P-PD: 21.1%). Depression was found in 46.7% (P-PD: 16.1%). Psychotic signs were reported by 43.3% patients only in C-PD (Hallucinations (33.3%) and delusion (10%)). Sleep disorders (P-PD: 26.6%, C-PD: 53.4%), sexual dysfunction (C-PD:76.7%) and eating disorders (C-PD:13.3% ) were also reported. UPDRS-V score was statistically correlated with mood disorders (p=0.05). Duration of PD evolution was statistically associated with eating disorders (P=0,001). Psychiatric symptoms and patients sociodemographic characteristics, age of disease onset and L-dopa daily dose, were statistically independent.

Conclusion: Our results confirm findings reported by several authors that PD is not limited to motor system but clearly disturbs the psychiatric system. Our study analyzed meticulously the various aspects of mental disorders in different clinical stages of the PD and highlights the variability of psychiatric symptoms’ occurrence according to the clinical stage of the disease.
Given that the quality of life, and the need for institutionalization, is so highly dependent on the psychiatric well-being of patients with PD, the inter‑disciplinary approach in management of these patients should include mental health professionals.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/psychiatric-evaluation-according-to-brief-psychiatric-rating-scale-expanded-in-patients-with-parkinsons-disease/