TY - JOUR PY - 2019// TI - Anxiety spectrum disorders are common in patients with orthostatic tremor JO - Clinical Parkinsonism and related disorders A1 - Bhatti, D.E. A1 - Thompson, R.J. A1 - Malgireddy, K. A1 - Syed, N.M. A1 - Bayer, B. A1 - Bessette, D. A1 - Fleisher, M.H. A1 - Murman, D.L. A1 - Torres-Russotto, D. SP - 10 EP - 12 VL - 1 IS - N2 - BACKGROUND: Orthostatic Tremor (OT) is a rare movement disorder characterized by a sensation of unsteadiness while standing and associated with high frequency tremors. Patients with OT commonly report a fear of falling and significant limitations in everyday activities. The prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities in OT patients has not been well-studied.

METHODS: Subjects were evaluated by trained psychiatry researchers using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.). The M.I.N.I is a validated screening tool for psychiatric disorders. A standardized history covering previous psychiatric symptoms and illnesses was also obtained.

RESULTS: 29 OT subjects were evaluated. The mean age was 67.7 years with female preponderance (89.3%). The average disease symptom duration was 18.2 years. 58.6% of the subjects had seen a mental health professional during the course of their OT illness. 24.1% of the subjects had a past history of depression, and 10.3% reported a family history of any psychiatric condition. 37.9% of the subjects screened positive for agoraphobia. Two of 29 subjects (6.9%) were classified as having a current major depressive episode and one subject (3.4%) was at risk for suicide.

CONCLUSIONS: Psychiatric comorbidities are highly prevalent in OT patients, especially anxiety-spectrum disorders. Further studies are needed to understand if psychiatric disorders appear as a secondary response to the patient's symptoms, or are a primary non-motor manifestation of OT. © 2019 The Authors

Language: en

LA - en SN - 2590-1125 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.prdoa.2019.07.001 ID - ref1 ER -