Misdiagnosis of the persistent postconcussion syndrome in patients with depression.
The purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence of postconcussion-like symptoms in patients with depression. Participants were 64 physician-diagnosed inpatients or outpatients with depression who had independently-confirmed diagnoses on the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. All completed the British Columbia Postconcussion Symptom Inventory, a 16-item measure designed to assess the frequency and severity of symptoms based on ICD-10 criteria for postconcussion syndrome. Specific endorsement rates of postconcussion-like symptoms ranged from 31.2% to 85.6% for symptoms rated mild or greater, and from 10.9% to 57.8% for symptoms rated moderate-to-severe. Approximately 9 out of 10 patients with depression met liberal self-report criteria for a postconcussion syndrome and more than 5 out of 10 met conservative criteria for the diagnosis. Implications for forensic neuropsychology will be discussed.
Iverson
Grant L
GL
Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia & Riverview Hospital, 2255 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 2A1, Canada. giverson@interchange.ubc.ca
D000328:Adult; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D038223:Post-Concussion Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data