The two sides of pseudo-bulbar disorder in multiple sclerosis: Comparing one patient's experience with a review of the neurologic literature

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Schwartz, Carolyn E.^{a; b; c; d; *} | Fierston, Stanley

Affiliations: [a] Frontier Science and Technology Research Foundation, Inc., 303 Boylston Street, Brookline, MA 02146, USA | [b] The Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Center, Englewood, CO, USA | [c] Department of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO, USA | [d] Department of Psychiatry, New England Deaconess Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author. Tel.: + 1 617 6322977. Fax: + 1 617 6322001. E-mail: schwartz@jimmy.harvard.edu

Abstract: A significant number of people with multiple sclerosis experience pathological laughing and weeping. This article presents two perspectives on these symptoms. First, the neurological literature is reviewed. Then, the patient's perspective is described in an essay written by a man who lives with pathological laughing and weeping, and his evaluations of the apparent costs and surprising benefits of these symptoms. Finally, psychological theories are discussed which link these two perspectives.

Keywords: Pseudobulbar, Pathological laughing and weeping, Patient-centered, Multiple sclerosis, Affective disorder

DOI: 10.3233/NRE-1995-5410

Journal: NeuroRehabilitation, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 359-365, 1995