Overt Psychopathology in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Abstract

The overall proportion of psychiatric disturbances in SLE varies between 12% and 57%, the most common symptoms being depressed mood, anxiety, depersonalization, withdrawal, and incoherence of thought, as well as delusions and hallucinations. Estimations of psychotic features vary from 5% to 52%, with a preponderance of the results clustering at 20-30% (1-3). Waring & Hincks (4) suggest that the most useful classification of psychiatric abnormalities observed in SLE is as functional disturbances (non-organic, e.g. affective and schizophrenia-like syndromes) or toxic organic illness (cerebrovascular involvement or toxic states secondary to complications, such as uraemia or steroid treatment).