This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in JAMA  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

The Psychiatric Imposter

William R. Dubin, MD; Kenneth J. Weiss, MD; Joseph A. Zeccardi, MD

JAMA. 1983;249(1):60-62.

Abstract
Rapid differentiation of organic brain syndrome (OBS) from functional psychiatric illness can be difficult when patients come to an emergency department with predominantly psychiatric symptoms. Using four screening criteria—disorientation, abnormal vital signs, clouded consciousness, and patients older than 40 years with no previous psychiatric history—we detected 38 cases of OBS from 1,140 medically cleared patients. Twelve of these patients were subsequently admitted to a medical unit. Despite the presence of striking behavioral aberration, an increased awareness of the clinical manifestations of OBS will enhance the physician's ability to discriminate OBS from other psychiatric illness.

(JAMA 1983;249:60-62)

Author Affiliations
From the Jefferson Psychiatric Emergency Service (Dr Dubin), the Jefferson Partial Hospital Program (Dr Weiss), and the Emergency Department (Dr Zeccardi), Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia.

Footnotes
Reprint requests to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, 1651 Thompson Bldg, 11th and Walnut streets, Philadelphia, PA 19107 (Dr Dubin).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

ASSESSING CONFUSED PATIENTS
Johnson
J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry 2001;71:i7-i12.
FULL TEXT