Psychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer's disease: mental status examination versus caregiver report.
To examine possible reasons for conflicting prevalence data on psychiatric features of Alzheimer's disease (AD), we compared the results of a mental status examination by a physician with a questionnaire completed by caregivers in eliciting 12 different psychiatric symptoms in AD patients. There was agreement only on categories suggesting agitation. The formal examination showed more correlations with stage and severity of dementia than did the caregiver report.
Seltzer
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B
Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112.
Buswell
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A
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D017028:Caregivers; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires