AUTHOR=Sauvaget Anne , Jiménez-Murcia Susana , Fernández-Aranda Fernando , Granero Roser , Grall-Bronnec Marie , Victorri-Vigneau Caroline , Bulteau Samuel , Derkinderen Pascal , Vanelle Jean M. , Hakansson Anders , Mestre-Bach Gemma , Steward Trevor , Menchón José M. TITLE=A Comparison of Treatment-Seeking Behavioral Addiction Patients with and without Parkinson’s Disease JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry VOLUME=8 YEAR=2017 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00214 DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00214 ISSN=1664-0640 ABSTRACT=

The administration of dopaminergic medication to treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is associated with addictive behaviors and impulse control disorders. Little is known, however, on how PD patients differ from other patients seeking treatments for behavioral addictions. The aim of this study was to compare the characteristics of behavioral addiction patients with and without PD. N = 2,460 treatment-seeking men diagnosed with a behavioral addiction were recruited from a university hospital. Sociodemographic, impulsivity [Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11)], and personality [Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised (TCI-R)] measures were taken upon admission to outpatient treatment. Patients in the PD group were older and had a higher prevalence of mood disorders than patients without PD. In terms of personality characteristics and impulsivity traits, PD patients appeared to present a more functional profile than PD-free patients with a behavioral addiction. Our results suggest that PD patients with a behavioral addiction could be more difficult to detect than their PD-free counterparts in behavioral addiction clinical setting due to their reduced levels of impulsivity and more standard personality traits. As a whole, this suggests that PD patients with a behavioral addiction may have different needs from PD-free behavioral addiction patients and that they could potentially benefit from targeted interventions.