Objective: We aimed to identify the demographic, psychiatric, clinical and cognitive characteristics associated with Anxiety not otherwise specified (NOS) in persons with Parkinson’s disease (PWP).
Background: Anxiety is a major non-motor complication and top rated concern in PWP, contributing to a reduced quality of life, increased care dependency and caregiver distress. A high proportion of PWP experience Anxiety NOS, being clinically significant anxiety that does not meet Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) criteria for a diagnosable anxiety disorder. Consequently, Anxiety in PWP is often under-recognised and its diagnosis and treatment are under-developed.
Method: A cross-sectional design was employed using a convenience sample of 184 non-demented PWP recruited from neurology outpatient clinics. A semi-structured interview categorised participants into three groups: PWP with DSM-IV anxiety disorders, Anxiety NOS or no anxiety. Logistic regression models were constructed to identify characteristics associated with Anxiety NOS.
Results: Associations were found between Anxiety NOS and female gender, poorer quality of life, depression, global neuropsychiatric impairment, complications of Parkinson’s disease therapy, the presence of dyskinesias, greater time spent with dyskinesias and in the “off” state and persistent, episodic and social anxiety. PWP with Anxiety NOS demonstrated more severe therapy complications, greater global cognitive impairment and higher levodopa doses than PWP with DSM-IV anxiety.
Conclusion: These findings present evidence that Anxiety NOS in PWP is a distinct, fluctuations-based anxiety subtype, which is specific to PWP. The identified characteristics of Anxiety NOS in PWP could facilitate increased recognition and treatment of anxiety in PWP.
References: Previously presented: Forbes, E.J., Byrne, G.J., O’Sullivan, J., Yang, J.H., Marsh, R. and Dissanayaka, N.N. (2019). Profiling atypical anxiety in Parkinson’s disease. In: UQ Science Student Research Conference, Brisbane, Australia, (). 12 October 2019.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
E. Forbes, G. Byrne, J. O'Sullivan, J. Yang, N. Dissanayaka. Profiling Atypical Anxiety in Parkinson’s Disease [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2020; 35 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/profiling-atypical-anxiety-in-parkinsons-disease/. Accessed June 15, 2025.« Back to MDS Virtual Congress 2020
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/profiling-atypical-anxiety-in-parkinsons-disease/