Psychogenic dizziness
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Vendhan Ramanujam M.B.B.S [2]
Synonyms and keywords: Functional dizziness; hyperventilation syndrome; nonspecific dizziness; phobic postural vertigo; psychiatric dizziness; psychic dizziness; psychophysiologic dizziness; somatization
Overview
Psychogenic dizziness is a dizziness which is not characterized by true vertigo and it can be replicated by hyperventilation and psychiatric symptoms that usually precede its onset. It occurs in anxious or phobic individuals and do not include any specific symptoms[1][2][3]. A new proposal narrowly defines psychogenic dizziness as the dizziness which occurs exclusively in combination with other symptoms as part of a recognized psychiatric symptom cluster and this symptom cluster is not itself related to vestibular dysfunction[4][5]. Psychogenic dizziness should not be confused with the phenomenon of psychogenic overlay where the preexisting nucleus of nonpsychiatric dizziness is augmented by psychiatric factors that occur along with it.
Classification
According to the newly proposed narrow definition, the following classification has been proposed[5]
- Psychiatric condition that entirely accounts for the patient’s dizziness like the panic disorder.
- A cluster of anxiety disorders where dizziness is a part of their symptom cluster like the generalized anxiety disorder.
- Psychiatric disorders where the psychiatric symptoms are vaguely described as having dizziness or imbalance by the patients like the description of poor concentration as swimming sensation in depressive disorders.
- Psychiatric disorders which present with neurologic symptoms including the symptom of imbalance which would fit in the narrow definition of psychiatric dizziness like the conversion disorder.
References
- ↑ Drachman, DA.; Hart, CW. (1972). "An approach to the dizzy patient". Neurology. 22 (4): 323–34. PMID 4401538. Unknown parameter
|month=ignored (help) - ↑ Nedzelski, JM.; Barber, HO.; McIlmoyl, L. (1986). "Diagnoses in a dizziness unit". J Otolaryngol. 15 (2): 101–4. PMID 3712537. Unknown parameter
|month=ignored (help) - ↑ MOORE, BE.; ATKINSON, M. (1958). "Psychogenic vertigo; the importance of its recognition". AMA Arch Otolaryngol. 67 (3): 347–53. PMID 13507801. Unknown parameter
|month=ignored (help) - ↑ Gresty, MA.; Bronstein, AM.; Brandt, T.; Dieterich, M. (1992). "Neurology of otolith function. Peripheral and central disorders". Brain. 115 ( Pt 3): 647–73. PMID 1628197. Unknown parameter
|month=ignored (help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 Furman, JM.; Jacob, RG. (1997). "Psychiatric dizziness". Neurology. 48 (5): 1161–6. PMID 9153437. Unknown parameter
|month=ignored (help)