According to a study published in Clinical Medicine, some illnesses can present symptoms that mistakenly point to psychiatric disorders. This means that there is a possibility that patients who appear to be suffering from a disorder such as schizophrenia are instead suffering from an unidentified medical illness.
Such dysfunctions often lead to misdiagnoses
Such malfunctions often lead to misdiagnoses. It is estimated that 12% of psychiatric admissions were related to some unidentified physical illness. And in these cases, the disease can worsen and have dire consequences for patients.
4 medical conditions that mimic psychiatric disorders
Delirium
Delirium is characterized by a set of neuropsychiatric symptoms (including attention deficit, impaired consciousness, global cognitive impairment, disorientation, and impaired perception). Caused by an underlying medical condition or substance-induced dysregulation.
According to an article published in Psychiatric Times in February. Delirium is among the most common central nervous system disorders that involve psychiatric symptoms. In one study, up to 42% of hospitalized elderly patients who were referred for a psychiatric consultation were actually delusional.
For example, in cases of hyperactive delirium, the symptoms are often mistaken for those of a psychosis, typically schizophrenia or mania. In hypoactive cases of delirium, symptoms can lead to a misdiagnosis of severe depression. Up to 65% of cases of delirium are mistaken for depression.
Dementias
If a patient appears to have a psychiatric disorder, another important consideration is whether their symptoms may point to dementia. Which can result in changes in the thought process and behaviors.
In cases of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), it is estimated to be the cause of 50-75% of dementias. Behavioral and psychiatric symptoms are common. These include affective dysregulation, psychosis, and agitation.
However, there are key differences that clinicians should be aware of. For example, hallucinations experienced by an Alzheimer’s patient tend to be visual. Compared to those experienced by a patient with a psychiatric disorder, they tend to be auditory.
There are other types of dementia that have similar symptoms. For example, frontotemporal dementia tends to present symptoms such as disinhibition, mood instability, and behavioral abnormalities. Lewy body dementia accounts for approximately 20% of all cases of major neurocognitive disorders. You tend to have symptoms such as impaired executive functioning, hallucinations, and daily fluctuation in cognition.
Epilepsy
Epileptic seizures can often present with changes in mood. As well as in the behavior and thought processes that can lead to their misdiagnosis as psychiatric disorders.
For example, in one case study, a 61-year-old man with hypertension came to the emergency department due to changes in his mood and behavior. He had reportedly displayed confused and disorganized behavior for 3 days and insisted that he no longer wanted to live. Later he was sent to a psychiatric consultation.
Traumatic brain injury
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can cause primary and secondary damage, which can lead to neurological dysfunction and neuropsychiatric sequelae. The primary damage can be something like a skull fracture or a brain hemorrhage. However, secondary damage progresses over time and can include an increase in brain metabolism. Which can result in neuronal dysfunction.
As a result, TBI patients may present symptoms such as depression, apathy, fatigue, difficulty concentrating. In addition to anxiety, irritability, agitation, aggression, psychosis or mania. Particularly in hospital settings, agitation is a very common symptom.
Treatment of these symptoms includes making sure the patient feels safe and calm. Behavioral interventions, limiting disturbing and distracting sensory stimuli and repeated orientation.
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