Comparison of Prevalence of Neurological Soft Signs in Psychiatric Disorders

Existence of neurological soft signs in psychological disorders is considered by researchers. Since these signs are applicable in the medical diagnosis discrimination when there is a doubt, so the aim of this study is to find out the prevalence of these sings in different kind of psychological patients who are referred to Shahid Beheshti psychological hospital and also this prevalence is compared in different patients with different disorders. Therefore 213 patients who had the final discrimination are selected as a simple systematic sample. This sample size based on a pilot study (with prevalence 32%, d=6%, and confidence coefficient 93%) Six tests of neurological soft signs were used on this sample. The results showed that the relation between age and four of these tests were significant, (standing on one foot, heel walking, toe walking, tandem walk) and the relation between psychological disorders and two of these tests, " two-point discrimination PV=0.01" and "Tongue extrusion PV=0.02", were significant. In the first test depression and in the other test schizophrenia were above normal, and in the remaining tests the relations were not significant. The results of this research showed that neurological soft signs are the same in different psychological disorders or the difference in negligible.