Geriatrics & gerontology international
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Geriatr Gerontol Int · Apr 2012
Comparative StudyPsychiatric diagnosis in the elderly referred to a consultation-liaison psychiatry service in a general geriatric hospital in Japan.
Because depression is a common disorder in later life, elderly patients with delirium can be misdiagnosed as having depression. This study aimed to compare psychiatric diagnoses in the elderly made by referring doctors and psychiatrists. ⋯ The referring doctors in this survey had an insufficient level of diagnostic accuracy for psychiatric disorders. Delirium and psychoactive substance-use disorders were often misdiagnosed as depression.