F. Bogetto, U. Albert, A. Badà, G. Maina - Volume 5, Settembre 1999, n. 3
Testo Immagini Bibliografia Summary Riassunto Indice
Il disturbo delirante: comorbidità
con altri disturbi psichiatrici
Delusional Disorder: comorbidity with other
psychiatric disorders
Objective: in a sample of Delusional Disorder (DD) patients: 1) to evaluate current and lifetime comorbidity rates with other Axis I Disorder; 2) to compare demographic and clinical features of patients with a single DD diagnosis with those of patients with multiple diagnoses (DD+other Axis I diagnosis).
Methods: 30 patients with DD (DSM-IV; Brown Assessment of Beliefs Scale (BABS) = 18) were evaluated. Patients were assessed using a semistructured clinical interview for the assessment of: - demographic data - Axis I diagnoses - clinical features of DD. The following rating scales were included: BABS, Social Adaptation Self-evaluation Scale (SASS), HDRS, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS). Patient sample was split into two groups: DD "pure" when patients had a single diagnosis and "comorbid" DD when patients met diagnostic criteria for at least another lifetime Axis I disorder.
Results: high comorbidity rates between DD and other Axis I Disorders were found (70%). Mood Disorders and Anxiety Disorders were the most frequent comorbid diagnoses. Comparison of clinical and demographic features between "pure" DD and "comorbid" DD showed that index age, age at first psychiatric examination and age at onset of DD were younger in "pure" DD patients than in ‘comorbid’ DD group. Patients with "pure" DD significantly differed from patients with "comorbid" DD also with respect to the presence of more than one delusional theme (75% versus 18.2% were "mixed type").
Conclusions: comorbidity appears to be of clinical relevance as it modifies some clinical and demographic features of DD