Psychological assessment in patients with phobic postural vertigo

Abstract

Phobic postural vertigo (PPV) is a frequent diagnosis which can be challenging to treat. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the presence of psychiatric disturbances in patients with PPV; to assess the psychological status of patients using adaptive diagnosis; to verify possible correlations between severity of psychiatric disturbance and adaptive efficacy. METHOD: A total of nineteen subjects were assessed and two instruments applied: the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders Questionnaire (PRIME-MD) and the Adaptive Operationalized Diagnostic Scale (AODS), and results from both tests were compared. RESULTS: Fourteen patients presented with mood disorder and thirteen with anxiety. All patients presented compromised adaptive efficacy. Correlation was found between overall outcome on the PRIME and the AODS (tau= -0.42, p=0.027), Separate analysis revealed correlation between results of the AODS and anxiety disorders (tau= -0.45, p=0.018) but not with mood disorders (tau= -0.36, p=0.054). CONCLUSION: Adaptive compromise was observed in individuals with PPV which was shown to be associated to psychiatric disorders.