Comorbidity of Psychiatric and Psychosocial Problems in Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

The present study was mainly aimed at understanding the comorbid psychiatric and psychosocial problems that significantly influence the daily life of persons with PD. For this, 100 patients of PD aged 45 to 70 years were selected from the patients who were attending the OPD of neurology departments at PGIMS, Rohtak and PGIMER, chandigarh to participate in the study along with 100 normal controls. Data were collected by administering Personality Assessment Inventory by Morey, 1999. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics (Mean, SD, SK, and KU) to ascertain the normalcy of data, t-ratios to compare the two groups in terms of their mean scores of eleven clinical scales and five treatment consideration scales and Discriminant Function Analysis to examine the joint contribution of all the sixteen variables in differentiation of two groups. Results revealed that patients with PD scored significantly high on nine clinical scales out of eleven scale and high on all treatment consideration scales. Overall findings revealed the patients with Parkinson’s disease tend to develop the neurotic and psychotic spectrum disorders along with the interpersonal behavioural problems and these psychopathological and social variables should be taken into account in diagnosis and treatment strategy for Parkinson’s disease.

          Key words:  Psychiatric Problems, Psychosocial Problems, Parkinson’s disease