Mental disorder in adults with mental retardation and epilepsy. 1997

S Deb
Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Wales College of Medicine, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK.

The controversy regarding the exact nature of the relationship between psychopathology and epilepsy continues. We studied the rate of mental disorder in 150 adults with mental retardation and epilepsy among the residents of a health district of the United Kingdom who lived either in institutions or in the community, and compared them with an age-, sex-, and IQ-matched nonepileptic adult mentally retarded population from the same institution and community. Mental disorder was assessed under three headings, namely severe maladaptive behavior, psychiatric illness according to ICD-9 criteria, and personality disorder. Sixty-five percent of the whole cohort had a diagnosis of mental disorder, and 55% showed severe maladaptive behavior. No significant difference in the rate of mental disorder emerged between the epileptic and nonepileptic groups, although the institutionalized subjects as opposed to the community-based subjects and severely mentally retarded adults compared with the mild to moderately mentally retarded adults showed a significantly higher rate of mental disorder in general and severe maladaptive behavior in particular. We hypothesized that underlying brain damage rather than epilepsy per se is a stronger determinant of psychopathology in the studied patient group.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D008607 Intellectual Disability Subnormal intellectual functioning which originates during the developmental period. This has multiple potential etiologies, including genetic defects and perinatal insults. Intelligence quotient (IQ) scores are commonly used to determine whether an individual has an intellectual disability. IQ scores between 70 and 79 are in the borderline range. Scores below 67 are in the disabled range. (from Joynt, Clinical Neurology, 1992, Ch55, p28) Disability, Intellectual,Idiocy,Mental Retardation,Retardation, Mental,Deficiency, Mental,Intellectual Development Disorder,Mental Deficiency,Mental Retardation, Psychosocial,Deficiencies, Mental,Development Disorder, Intellectual,Development Disorders, Intellectual,Disabilities, Intellectual,Disorder, Intellectual Development,Disorders, Intellectual Development,Intellectual Development Disorders,Intellectual Disabilities,Mental Deficiencies,Mental Retardations, Psychosocial,Psychosocial Mental Retardation,Psychosocial Mental Retardations,Retardation, Psychosocial Mental,Retardations, Psychosocial Mental
D008875 Middle Aged An adult aged 45 - 64 years. Middle Age
D010554 Personality Disorders A major deviation from normal patterns of behavior. Avoidant Personality Disorder,Impulse-Ridden Personality,Inadequate Personality,Avoidant Personality Disorders,Impulse Ridden Personality,Personality Disorder,Personality Disorder, Avoidant,Personality Disorders, Avoidant,Personality, Impulse-Ridden,Personality, Inadequate
D004827 Epilepsy A disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of paroxysmal brain dysfunction due to a sudden, disorderly, and excessive neuronal discharge. Epilepsy classification systems are generally based upon: (1) clinical features of the seizure episodes (e.g., motor seizure), (2) etiology (e.g., post-traumatic), (3) anatomic site of seizure origin (e.g., frontal lobe seizure), (4) tendency to spread to other structures in the brain, and (5) temporal patterns (e.g., nocturnal epilepsy). (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, p313) Aura,Awakening Epilepsy,Seizure Disorder,Epilepsy, Cryptogenic,Auras,Cryptogenic Epilepsies,Cryptogenic Epilepsy,Epilepsies,Epilepsies, Cryptogenic,Epilepsy, Awakening,Seizure Disorders
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328 Adult A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available. Adults
D001523 Mental Disorders Psychiatric illness or diseases manifested by breakdowns in the adaptational process expressed primarily as abnormalities of thought, feeling, and behavior producing either distress or impairment of function. Mental Illness,Psychiatric Diseases,Psychiatric Disorders,Psychiatric Illness,Behavior Disorders,Diagnosis, Psychiatric,Mental Disorders, Severe,Psychiatric Diagnosis,Illness, Mental,Mental Disorder,Mental Disorder, Severe,Mental Illnesses,Psychiatric Disease,Psychiatric Disorder,Psychiatric Illnesses,Severe Mental Disorder,Severe Mental Disorders

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