Abstract
We evaluated whether psychiatric residents assigned to the emergency room and consultation services, at comparable stages in their training, would more carefully consider cognitive dysfunction in presenting patients by employing a structured questionnaire rather than the more traditional method of mental status assessment. No significant difference in the frequency of suspected diagnosis of organic mental disorder was noted among 231 patients who were assessed using the Cognitive Capacity Screening Exam versus 281 patients screened by the more traditional clinical mental status examination. Thus, psychiatric residents who utilize a methodical and careful mental status examination remain highly effective in evaluating for the presence of organic psychiatric disorder.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
McEvoy JP: Organic brain syndromes. Ann Intern Med 9:212–220, 1981.
Hall RCW, Popkin MK, Devaul RA, et al.: Physical illness presenting as psychiatric disease. Arch Gen Psychiatry 35:1313–1320, 1978.
Weissberg MP: Emergency room clearance: an educational problem. Am J Psychiatry 136:787–790, 1979.
Koranyi EK: Morbidity and rate of undiagnosed physical illness in a psychiatric clinic population. Arch Gen Psychiatry 36:414–419, 1979.
Dubin WR, Weiss KJ, Zeccardi JA: Organic brain syndrome: the psychiatric imposter. JAMA 249:60–62, 1983.
Jacobs, JW, Bernhard BA, Delgado A, et al: Screening for organic mental syndromes in the medically ill. Ann Intern Med 86:40–46, 1977.
MacKinnon, RA: Psychiatric history and mental status examination. In Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry/III. Waverly Press, Baltimore 1980, pp. 912–919.
Gomez R: Demographic and non-demographic characteristics of psychiatric emergency room patients. Psychiat Clin N Am 6:213–224, 1983.
Bustamente JP, Ford CV: Characteristics of general hospital patients referred for psychiatric consultations. J Clin Psychiatry 42:338–341, 1981.
Folks DG, Ford CV: Psychiatric disorders in the geriatric medical/surgical patient: A report of 195 consecutive cases. South Med J 78:239–241, 1985.
Fauman MA, Fauman BJ: The differential diagnosis of organic based psychiatric disturbance in the emergency department. JACEP 6:315–323, 1977.
Anthony JC, LeResche L, Niaz U, et al.: Limits of the ‘Mini Mental State’ as a screening test for dementia and delirium among hospital patients. Psychol Med 12:397–400, 1982.
Folstein MF, Folstein SE, McHugh PR: “Mini Mental State” A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. J Psychiat Res 12:189–198, 1975.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
The authors would like to acknowledge the invaluable contributions of Dr. C.V. Ford, R. Greene, A. Craig, T. Ferhman, L. Hawkins, R. Hunter, M. Kutcher, A. McAlister, M. Norris, P. Nunn, R. Pinney, N. Rivers-Bulkeley, W. Regan, B. Swenson, S. West. This work was supported in part by NIMH training grants M H 1768-01 and M H 17215-01.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Folks, D.G., Rabin, P.L. Residents’ Structured Versus Nonstructured Assessment of Cognitive Function. Acad Psychiatry 9, 60–65 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03399946
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03399946