Restless legs syndrome from the perspective of psychiatry

Abstract

Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) or Willis-Ekbom Disease is an under-diag-nosed chronic and progressive primary sensory-motor disorder. It can lead to severe sleep disturbances, a usual cause of consultation. It is characterized by an urgent need to move the legs in resting situations, a cardinal symptom that is usually accompanied by an unpleasant sensation in legs. These symptoms appear or aggravate at the end of the day and in resting situations and are alleviated with movement. Based on these clinical characteristics, it has been defined as a quiescegenic focal akathisia. The diagnosis is essentially clinical. As a guide, there are five cardinal diagnostic criteria. The treatment consists of non-pharmaco-logical measures and the use of medications such as dopamine agonists. Despite the treatment, the symptoms persist in 40% of patients. Psychiatrists should be aware of the syndrome since many drugs used by them such as antipsychotics, antidepressants and anxiolytics can worsen the symptoms. Moreover, the syndrome may be associated with depressive and anxiety diseases.