PSYCHIATRIC MORBIDITY AMONG CONTINUING CARE GERIATRIC INPATIENTS.
- Resource Type
- Article
- Authors
- Shah, Ajit; Phongsathorn, Virach; George, Collette; Bialawska, Celia; Katona, Cornelius
- Source
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. Jul1992, Vol. 7 Issue 7, p517-525. 9p.
- Subject
- *MENTAL health of older people
*GERIATRICS
*ELDER care
*GERIATRIC psychiatry
*DEMENTIA
*MENTAL health
- Language
- ISSN
- 0885-6230
This study examines the point prevalence of psychiatric morbidity among continuing care geriatric inpatients and the performance of screening questionnaires in detecting such morbidity. From a sample of 74 patients it was possible to carry out complete dementia ratings in 53 patients and depression ratings in 52 patients. Eighty-three per cent of the patients assessed had dementia and 48% had significant depressive symptoms. Screening for dementia with the Mini Menial State Examination (MMSE) had 100% sensitivity and 78% specificity. The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) had 80% sensitivity and 64% specificity at the conventional cutoff of 10/11. Receiver operating characteristics curve analysis suggested that a 12/13 cutoff gave the best sensitivity (75%) and specificity (73%) values for depressive symptoms. Among patients with dementia a cutoff score oil 12/13 on the GDS also gave optimal sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive values. The GDS revealed good test-retest stability in the whole sample (tau = +0.55, p< 0.001)and the demented subgroup (tau = +0.52, p< 0.001). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]