Mood and anxiety disorders in patients with multiple sclerosis

Objective. This study aims to investigate the current prevalences of mood and anxiety disorders, as well as the socio-demographic and clinical features associated with these disorders in multiple sclerosis (MS). Method. A total of 74 patients with relapsing-remitting MS (42 patients in exacerbation phase, 32 patients in remission phase) were included in the study. Mood and anxiety disorders were diagnosed by means of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I). The Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) was used to determine degree of disability due to MS. Results. Forty-five (60.8%) patients met the criterion of at least one mood or anxiety disorder. Major depression (33.8%) was the most common psychiatric diagnosis. Generalized anxiety disorder (18.9%), specific phobia (18.9%) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) (14.9%) were other frequent psychiatric disorders. Major depression, panic disorder and OCD were significantly more common among patients in the exacerbation phase compared to patients in the remission phase. The predictors of any depressive disorder were presence of exacerbation phase of MS and higher disability level, and the predictors of any anxiety disorder were presence of exacerbation phase of MS and shorter disease duration. Conclusions. Our results suggest that the patients with relapsing-remitting MS, particularly during exacerbation phase have high prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders.