TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2024//
TI  - Mental health outcomes of encephalitis: an international web-based study
JO  - European journal of neurology
A1  - Butler, Matt
A1  - Abdat, Yasmin
A1  - Zandi, Michael
A1  - Michael, Benedict D.
A1  - Coutinho, Ester
A1  - Nicholson, Timothy R.
A1  - Easton, Ava
A1  - Pollak, Thomas A.
SP  - e16083
EP  - e16083
VL  - 31
IS  - 1
N2  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Acute encephalitis is associated with psychiatric symptoms. Despite this, the extent of mental health problems following encephalitis has not been systematically reported.     METHODS: We recruited adults who had been diagnosed with encephalitis of any aetiology to complete a web-based questionnaire.     RESULTS: In total, 445 respondents from 31 countries (55.1% UK, 23.1% USA) responded. Infectious encephalitis constituted 65.4% of cases, autoimmune 29.7%. Mean age was 50.1 years, 65.8% were female, and median time since encephalitis diagnosis was 7 years. The most common self-reported psychiatric symptoms were anxiety (75.2%), sleep problems (64.4%), mood problems (62.2%), and unexpected crying (35.2%). Self-reported psychiatric diagnoses were common: anxiety (44.0%), depression (38.6%), panic disorder (15.7%), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; 21.3%). Severe mental illnesses such as psychosis (3.3%) and bipolar affective disorder (3.1%) were reported. Self-reported diagnosis rates were broadly consistent with results from the Psychiatric Diagnostic Screening Questionnaire. Many respondents also reported they had symptoms of anxiety (37.5%), depression (28.1%), PTSD (26.8%), or panic disorder (20.9%) that had not been diagnosed. Rates of psychiatric symptoms did not differ between autoimmune and infectious encephalitis. In total, 37.5% respondents had thought about suicide, and 4.4% had attempted suicide, since their encephalitis diagnosis. More than half of respondents (53.5%) reported they had no, or substandard, access to appropriate mental health care. High rates of sensory hypersensitivities (>75%) suggest a previously unreported association.     CONCLUSIONS: This large international survey indicates that psychiatric symptoms following encephalitis are common and that mental health care provision may be inadequate. We highlight a need for proactive psychiatric input.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1351-5101
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ene.16083
ID  - ref1
ER  -