TY - JOUR
T1 - Mental health outcomes of encephalitis
T2 - An international web-based study
AU - Butler, Matt
AU - Abdat, Yasmin
AU - Zandi, Michael
AU - Michael, Benedict D
AU - Coutinho, Ester
AU - Nicholson, Timothy R
AU - Easton, Ava
AU - Pollak, Thomas A
N1 - Funding Information:
M.B. is a Wellcome Trust Doctoral Clinical Research Fellow (227515/Z/23/Z). B.D.M. is supported to conduct COVID‐19 Neuroscience Research by the UKRI/MRC (MR/V03605X/1). B.D.M. is supported for additional neurological inflammation research due to viral infection by grants from the National Institute for Health Research (award CO‐CIN‐01), Medical Research Council (MC_PC_19059), NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections at University of Liverpool, MRC/UKRI (MR/V007181/1), Medical Research Council (MR/T028750/1), and Wellcome (ISSF201902/3). B.D.M. is further supported by the Medical Research Foundation (MRF‐CPP‐R2‐2022‐100003).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. European Journal of Neurology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Academy of Neurology.
PY - 2024/1
Y1 - 2024/1
N2 - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Acute encephalitis is associated with psychiatric symptoms. Despite this, the extent of mental health problems following encephalitis has not been systematically reported.METHODS: We recruited adults who had been diagnosed with encephalitis of any aetiology to complete a web-based questionnaire.RESULTS: In total, 445 respondents from 31 countries (55.1% UK, 23.1% USA) responded. Infectious encephalitis constituted 65.4% of cases, autoimmune 29.7%. Mean age was 50.1 years, 65.8% were female, and median time since encephalitis diagnosis was 7 years. The most common self-reported psychiatric symptoms were anxiety (75.2%), sleep problems (64.4%), mood problems (62.2%), and unexpected crying (35.2%). Self-reported psychiatric diagnoses were common: anxiety (44.0%), depression (38.6%), panic disorder (15.7%), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; 21.3%). Severe mental illnesses such as psychosis (3.3%) and bipolar affective disorder (3.1%) were reported. Self-reported diagnosis rates were broadly consistent with results from the Psychiatric Diagnostic Screening Questionnaire. Many respondents also reported they had symptoms of anxiety (37.5%), depression (28.1%), PTSD (26.8%), or panic disorder (20.9%) that had not been diagnosed. Rates of psychiatric symptoms did not differ between autoimmune and infectious encephalitis. In total, 37.5% respondents had thought about suicide, and 4.4% had attempted suicide, since their encephalitis diagnosis. More than half of respondents (53.5%) reported they had no, or substandard, access to appropriate mental health care. High rates of sensory hypersensitivities (>75%) suggest a previously unreported association.CONCLUSIONS: This large international survey indicates that psychiatric symptoms following encephalitis are common and that mental health care provision may be inadequate. We highlight a need for proactive psychiatric input.
AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Acute encephalitis is associated with psychiatric symptoms. Despite this, the extent of mental health problems following encephalitis has not been systematically reported.METHODS: We recruited adults who had been diagnosed with encephalitis of any aetiology to complete a web-based questionnaire.RESULTS: In total, 445 respondents from 31 countries (55.1% UK, 23.1% USA) responded. Infectious encephalitis constituted 65.4% of cases, autoimmune 29.7%. Mean age was 50.1 years, 65.8% were female, and median time since encephalitis diagnosis was 7 years. The most common self-reported psychiatric symptoms were anxiety (75.2%), sleep problems (64.4%), mood problems (62.2%), and unexpected crying (35.2%). Self-reported psychiatric diagnoses were common: anxiety (44.0%), depression (38.6%), panic disorder (15.7%), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; 21.3%). Severe mental illnesses such as psychosis (3.3%) and bipolar affective disorder (3.1%) were reported. Self-reported diagnosis rates were broadly consistent with results from the Psychiatric Diagnostic Screening Questionnaire. Many respondents also reported they had symptoms of anxiety (37.5%), depression (28.1%), PTSD (26.8%), or panic disorder (20.9%) that had not been diagnosed. Rates of psychiatric symptoms did not differ between autoimmune and infectious encephalitis. In total, 37.5% respondents had thought about suicide, and 4.4% had attempted suicide, since their encephalitis diagnosis. More than half of respondents (53.5%) reported they had no, or substandard, access to appropriate mental health care. High rates of sensory hypersensitivities (>75%) suggest a previously unreported association.CONCLUSIONS: This large international survey indicates that psychiatric symptoms following encephalitis are common and that mental health care provision may be inadequate. We highlight a need for proactive psychiatric input.
KW - Adult
KW - Humans
KW - Female
KW - Middle Aged
KW - Male
KW - Anxiety Disorders
KW - Encephalitis
KW - Infectious Encephalitis
KW - Outcome Assessment, Health Care
KW - Internet
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85173454449&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/ene.16083
DO - 10.1111/ene.16083
M3 - Article
C2 - 37797295
SN - 1351-5101
VL - 31
JO - European Journal of Neurology
JF - European Journal of Neurology
IS - 1
M1 - e16083
ER -
