UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

Hmmmmmmm!


Keratoconus patients are more likely to have psychiatric disorders, study shows

SAN DEIGO — Patients with keratoconus are significantly more likely to have mental disorders than patients without the condition, according to a surgeon speaking here.

Armando Signorelli, MD, presented the results of a study investigating behavioral disturbances in keratoconic patients at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting.

"Over the course of the years of clinical and surgical follow-up of patients with keratoconus, we have observed that patients demonstrated peculiar behavior ranging from emotional instability to diagnostic schizophrenia," Dr. Signorelli said. "We reviewed the literature and found isolated reports, some describing a keratoconus personality in patients, though without a more detailed statistical study."

Dr. Signorelli and colleagues administered the Duke psychiatric morbidity questionnaire, a widely used mental health survey, to 100 keratoconic patients and 100 non-keratoconic controls. They found significantly more keratoconic patients had mental disorders: 35% vs. 22% of controls (P < .042), he said. Significantly more keratoconic patients also had experienced aggression (46%), sadness (49%) and suicidal thoughts (19%), he added.

Additionally, the researchers found a significantly higher incidence of mental disorders among women with keratoconus, 48% compared with 25% of women in the control group (P = .037), Dr. Signorelli said.

"The construction of a more specific questionnaire would most likely identify the behaviors directly relative to keratoconus," he said. Such research could lead to a "holistic view" of keratoconus patients, including multidisciplinary treatment and stronger, more consistent physician-family support, he noted.

http://www.osnsupersite.com/view.asp?rID=21758

Interesting study, but as far as I know I don't have any psych problems, but would I know if i did??
Are they sure that the KC patients just couldn't read their questionnaire and just ticked any box. I also think using 100 cases and 100 controls in San Diego isn't much of a sample to base all KC patients on. Maybe they should conclude that it only applies in san diego, california or just the USA.

Interesting....

No mental health problems with me yet..

My OH is a psychiatrist - I will ask him if he has experienced KC in any of his patients

Chris xx

I posted a while back after reading about the possibility of a keratoconic personality - it really caused a bit of a stir and loads of posts!

hmmmm

so what is the study trying to infer?

that people with KC are more likely to be "mental"?

i think a far more practical and productive study would be to look at what living with KC on a daily basis and for life is like. then for the population at large to be made more aware and that way maybe we wouldnt feel as though we are talking to ourselves so much or banging our heads on a wall

what do you think ?

mike

I have come across this before: I think it is just a load of malarkey!

Andrew

Late last year or early this whil Jay was building his house Louise Penbroke raised this very subject.

Indeed, as a mental health activist and as someone who has previously received "diagnostic Schizophrenia" I think this is bollox. Sample sizes for most psych research tend to be small yet they make expansive claims, this is typical. I've seen studies involving only 5 people on one unit yet the clinician claimed that drug X was suitable for all people experiencing the condition of the 5!!
I think what is more relevant is looking at the impact of KC on a persons life [especially for teens] and what support the person is given. I know that the impact on me as youngster was profound and did contribute to my first 'breakdown' but that was more about lack of support and information. Then depression resulting from deteriorating visual acuity and prejudice from the ophthalmic consultant. As Lynn has previously pointed out it would be good if optoms had input into mental health teams, they are able to explain clearly what impact KC is having visually.
Equally, mental health services need to get to grips with the impact of sensory impairment [of any kind] on peoples mental health. It always amazes me how a deaf friend of mine is viewed as 'bi-polar' and having a 'psychotic' breakdown when I'm aware that much of distress has absolutely nothing to do with an alleged disease process, it's often more about loss and grief related to his hearing loss. The fact that he shouts about this in a crisis - still the penny doesn't drop for them! They are too busy looking at everything through a narrow framework they miss the bleeding obvious.
People can self-harm, attempt suicide in relation to any physical illness or long term disability, some people will be vulnerable here but that's not KC specific in my view.
We all draw the line at different points, some people can adapt to being paralysed from the neck downwards, whereas the next person might find even the slightest limp enough to not want to be here. It's not about the condition, it's about many, many factors in relation to our internal landscape, how we define quality of life, environment and social circumstances.
Papers like these are not helpful, it's about looking at impact, information, support, contact between different services and more psychological support being made available to newly diagnosed and young people in particular.
Sadly, the publishers have decided not to run the conference I was suggesting to them on sensory impairment and mental health. It's a pity because it would have brought together both ophthalmic/hearing professionals with mental health workers and experts by experience to discuss the very issues which have been highlighted on various previous threads on these boards. Ah well, I'll look for future opportunities.
In the meanwhile maybe we might think about a leaflet sometime regarding these sorts of issues.

I have tourette syndrome.....
I was in a bank the other day and had started to tic and then started to explain to the bank man that I had tourettes and we had a lovely conversation after that. Turns out his son has tourettes and is very musical and has bad eye problems. I am also very musical, and play various instruments and what do you know have eye problems. so im thinking possibly a link with KC and tourettes and errm music lol they also prescribed me really bad meds for tourettes used for people with schizophrenia, even tho I dont take them.
anyway that was my bit

nicola

Louise and Nicola

Thank you both for these posts.

I am sorry, Lou, that your publisher has decided noit to go with the mental health and sensory impairement conference. Pity, but ah well!

Andrew