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Coping strategies and IQ in psychogenic movement disorders and paralysis
Author(s) -
van Beilen M.,
Griffioen Brecht T.,
Leenders Klaus L.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
movement disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.352
H-Index - 198
eISSN - 1531-8257
pISSN - 0885-3185
DOI - 10.1002/mds.22428
Subject(s) - psychogenic disease , coping (psychology) , psychology , movement disorders , conversion disorder , clinical psychology , psychiatry , medicine , disease
Inadequate coping strategies may cause some patients to develop psychogenic symptoms in periods of stress. This may be more prominent in patients with lower intelligence levels. Twenty‐six patients with psychogenic neurological disorders (PND) were tested for coping abilities and intelligence and compared with 18 healthy controls and 26 patients with various nonpsychogenic disorders. Patients with PND have slightly lower IQ levels and active coping skills compared with healthy controls but not to nonpsychogenic patients. Low IQ was not associated with low active coping skills in either of the groups. Low active coping is not the result of low IQ and is not specific for psychogenic symptoms. At least part of the lower coping skills reported in patients with psychogenic symptoms may be the result of having an illness in general. © 2009 Movement Disorder Society