Mansoor Mirzaei , Niloofar Jaryani , Saeede Masafi , Sayna AfsarAski , Behrooz Dolatshahi , Omid Rezaei
Introduction/Background: According to high prevalence of psychological symptoms and personality disorders in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and increasing rate of such a disease at young and early adulthood ages, identification and performing adequate treatment approaches can be of first priorities of Mental Health System of the country.
Aim & Objective: Present investigation aims to address and specify abundance, personality patterns and psychological symptoms in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
Methods/Study Design: This research is an analytical study (i.e. case-control) with random sampling. Tastings include 94 patients with MS and 94 persons of their relatives are selected as controls. Abundance and personality patterns are assessed using Million Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI-II). Data is analyzed through t-Test with independent samples and Mann-Whitney test.
Results/ Finding: Yielded results reveal that patients with MS obtained a score equal to personality disorder at least in one of the personality patterns of MCMI-II test. In a comparison between both patient and controls groups’ scores, group of patients with MS has higher averages in all scales, though there seems significant difference in only three scales as follows: Avoidance Scale (P<0.03), Aggressive – Passive Scale (P<0.01), and Border Scale (P<0.02). In the comparison between both groups’ average at clinical scales, patients with MS show higher mean than controls where there seems significant statistical difference in some scales as follows: Anxiety Scale (P<0.009), somatization disorder Scale (P<0.04),Alcohol Dependence Scale (P<0.01), Thought Disorder Scale (P<0.002), and Major Depression (P<0.005). Discussion/Conclusion: Considerable abundance of personality pathologic patterns and clinical syndromes in patients with MS emphasizes on importance of psychiatric and psychological methods in line with neurological treatments. Also, such patients can receive more targeted psychiatric and psychological services
