Psychological assessment of a case of trigeminal neuralgia

Abstract

Objective: Recent report links trigeminal neuralgia as a trigger for psychiatric crisis. This article reports the findings from psychological assessment of a case of trigeminal neuralgia, to highlight the associated psychological problems of this condition. Method: A 58 years old male trader, who presented with one year history of right mandibular pain, diagnosed to be suffering from trigeminal neuralgia was administered the following Psychological assessment questionnaires: Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), Symptom Distress Checklist – 90 (SCL - 90), Spielberger’s State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Index of self Esteem (ISE). The completed questionnaires by the patient were analyzed by a Clinical Psychologist. Results: Psychological assessment showed that the patient was tough minded, introverted, and emotionally unstable. Analyses also showed that patient was experiencing bodily pains, discomfort, irresistible thoughts, impulses and actions, discomfort in social situations, loss of interest in usual activities, nervousness and feelings of unfriendliness. Scores on the tests suggests that the patient had a high state and trait anxiety and poor self esteem. Cognitive oriented psychotherapy was recommended to deal with the patient’s psychological disabilities. Conclusion: This article shows that trigeminal neuralgia is a chronic facial pain that may be associated with psychological problems, such as anxiety and poor self esteem found in this study; while poorly treated cases of TN have been reported to precipitate psychiatric crisis or suicide. Therefore, we recommend a multidisciplinary team approach including dentists and mental health experts in the treatment of patients suffering from TN.

Keywords: Chronic facial pain, Trigeminal neuralgia, Psychological assessment, Multidisciplinary Team