Diagnosing mania: the use of family informants.
The contribution of a history taken from the family was evaluated in a series of acutely psychotic patients diagnosed using DSM-III criteria. Families often describe manic symptoms not reported by the patient; this is especially so for excessive or inappropriate activities. The traditional reliance on current mental state may lead to underdiagnosis of mania and overdiagnosis of schizophrenia.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis; D000368:Aged; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008487:Medical History Taking; D008875:Middle Aged; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis