Pseudobulbar affect and suicidal ideation: is there a relationship?

Authors

  • Filipe Augusto Cursino de Freitas Pesquisador voluntário, Serviço de Neurologia, Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Belo Horizonte, Belo Horizonte, MG; Preceptor, Programa de Residência Médica, Centro Psíquico da Adolescência e Infância (CEPAI), Fundação Hospitalar do Estado de Minas Gerais (FHEMIG), Belo Horizonte, MG. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3374-1687
  • Antônio Pereira Gomes Neto Docente e pesquisador(a), Serviço de Neurologia, Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Belo Horizonte, Belo Horizonte, MG.
  • Remco Frank Peter de Winter Winter Pesquisador e psiquiatra assistente, Parnassia Psychiatric Institute, The Hague/Amsterdam VU University, Haia, Holanda.
  • Renata Brant de Souza Melo Docente e pesquisador(a), Serviço de Neurologia, Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Belo Horizonte, Belo Horizonte, MG.
  • Albert Louis da Rocha Bicalho Docente e pesquisador(a), Serviço de Neurologia, Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Belo Horizonte, Belo Horizonte, MG.
  • Paulo Pereira Christo Christo Docente e pesquisador(a), Serviço de Neurologia, Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Belo Horizonte, Belo Horizonte, MG; Professor, Departamento de Neurologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25118/2763-9037.2020.v10.24

Keywords:

Social isolation, risk factors, suicidal ideation

Abstract

Objective: Pseudobulbar affect is a pathological form of emotional expression in which patients with neurological disorders have outbursts of laughing or crying that are incongruent with mood. Pseudobulbar affect is related to social isolation. Multiple sclerosis, in turn, is related to increased suicidality. The aim of this paper was to investigate the existence of any relationship between pseudobulbar affect and suicidal ideation in patients with multiple sclerosis. Methods: A total of 107 eligible, clinically stable patients with multiple sclerosis from the outpatient neurology clinic of Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Belo Horizonte, Brazil, underwent a standard sequence of data collection, covering clinical and demographic information. They also completed the following instruments: Center for Neurologic Study-Lability Scale (CNS-LS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS). Results: Among the patients with both multiple sclerosis and pseudobulbar affect, 41.17% showed suicidal ideation, compared to 24.65% among those with multiple sclerosis without  pseudobulbar affect. When depression was isolated as a confounding factor, no patients were found with pseudobulbar affect and suicidal ideation at the same time. Conclusion: Even though pseudobulbar affect is related to social isolation and mood disorders, this study did not find a relationship between pseudobulbar affect and suicidal ideation in the sample of patients with multiple sclerosis.

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Published

2020-09-30

How to Cite

1.
Freitas FAC de, Gomes Neto AP, Winter RFP de W, Melo RB de S, Bicalho AL da R, Christo PPC. Pseudobulbar affect and suicidal ideation: is there a relationship?. Debates Psiquiatr. [Internet]. 2020 Sep. 30 [cited 2026 May 1];10(3):6-15. Available from: https://revistardp.org.br/revista/article/view/24

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 3 (2020)

Section

Original Articles

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