Summary:
Affective disorders – depression, euphoria, emotional lability – belons to the most frequent symptoms
of multiple sclerosis. At present depression is considered the main psychiatric syndrome, being found
in 26–56% patients with multiple sclerosis. Emotional lability is a frequent associated symptom.
Contrary to former data in the literature, euphoria is observed much more rarely nowadays. In our
clinic for multiple sclerosis we diagnosed in the course of three years 60 patients (35% of all recorded
patients with multiple sclerosis, 41 women, and 19 men) with affective disorders, where treatment was
necessary. Depressions were recorded in 46 patients (mean age 28 years, duration of disease 5 years
and EDSS score 2.0), emotional lability in 10 subjects (mean age 35 years, duration of disease 9 and
EDSS score 4.5) and euphoria in 4 patients (42 years, duration 18 years and EDSS score 6.5). All 46
patients with depression were treated with a very satisfactory effect with IIIrd generation antidepres-
sants. This antidepressant treatment has a marked effect not only on a major number of associated
symptoms and complaints but has also a favourable effect on the general clinical conditions of the
patients with multiple sclerosis.
Key words:
multiple sclerosis, depression, emotional lability, euphoria, antidepressants
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