Interictal dysphoric disorder (IDD) is a
mood disorder
A mood disorder, also known as an affective disorder, is any of a group of conditions of mental and behavioral disorder where a disturbance in the person's mood is the main underlying feature. The classification is in the '' Diagnostic and St ...
sometimes found in patients with
epilepsy
Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrica ...
, at a
prevalence
In epidemiology, prevalence is the proportion of a particular population found to be affected by a medical condition (typically a disease or a risk factor such as smoking or seatbelt use) at a specific time. It is derived by comparing the number o ...
rate of approximately 17%.
The most common symptom of IDD is intermittent
dysphoric mood in between seizures. Interictal dysphoric disorder can often be treated with a combination of
antidepressant and
anticonvulsant medication.
Its existence as a diagnostic entity is not totally established, and IDD is not included in the DSM-5.
History
Emil Kraepelin
Emil Wilhelm Georg Magnus Kraepelin (; ; 15 February 1856 – 7 October 1926) was a German psychiatrist.
H. J. Eysenck's ''Encyclopedia of Psychology'' identifies him as the founder of modern scientific psychiatry, psychopharmacology and psych ...
in 1923 first outlined a set of symptoms common in people with chronic epilepsy, the most prominent of which is intermittent
depressive episode
A major depressive episode (MDE) is a period characterized by the symptoms of major depressive disorder. Those affected primarily have a depressed mood for at least two weeks or more, and a loss of interest or pleasure in everyday activities. Other ...
s.
These mood changes occur without any external triggers, during the interictal phase (between seizures). In 1949, Bleuler note a similar syndrome and in 1955, Gastaut confirmed both these observations.
Later, Blumer coined the term interictal dysphoric disorder to describe a similar pleomorphic presentation of symptoms exhibited by his patients.
Blumer and Altshuler outlined eight affective-somatoform symptoms that characterize IDD: depressive moods, irritability,
anergia, insomnia, pains, phobic fears, and euphoric moods.
The diagnosis of IDD should be made when at least three of the seven symptoms are present.
References
{{reflist
Mood disorders