Ires Ghielen

53 Replication factor analysis in neuropsychiatric PD patients systematically check diagnostic criteria for all DSM diagnoses. Such structured clinical interviews, however, also risk overdiagnosis due to anxiety features being considered as part of a primary anxiety diagnosis, instead of secondary to another psychiatric diagnosis or PD-related symptoms of motor or autonomic failure, as can be expected in PD patients. A major strength of this study is that we investigated a sample of PD patients who were assessed by two psychiatrists who are specialized in diagnosing anxiety in the context of motor and autonomic symptoms in PD patients. We successfully replicated the main findings by Rutten et al. [18], which makes these results more reliable and generalizable. Conclusions In conclusion, anxiety in PD is a complex construct due to symptom overlap and interactions with motor and autonomic features of the disease. The 7-item affective subscale of the BAI shows potential as a screening tool for non-episodic anxiety in PD. It is recommended to evaluate anxiety symptoms in the context of other PD symptoms, including motor, autonomic, and other (neuro)psychiatric symptoms. 3