Psychiatric examinations

For a diagnosis, clinicians rely on histories, on physical, neurological and psychiatric examinations, on neuropsychological tests [1,14], and on laboratory studies [15,16]. 

Patients with suspected AD should have a history and physical examination with appropriate laboratory and other diagnostic tests, neurologic and psychiatric examinations, standardized rating assessments, functional evaluation, and a caregiver interview. 

Upon arrival at Edgewood Arsenal, each volunteer went thorough a battery of medical and psychiatric examinations. They were then placed in categories. Some were allowed to test psychoactive dmgs at the higher dosage levels. Others would be eligible only for low doses. 

The report cites examples of studies that failed to comply with Army Chief of Staff Memorandum 385. In one incident, LSD was given covertly to the former commander of the Chemical Corps Research and Development Command. When asked what he knew about the use of LSD in the volunteer program, he said he had volunteered to take part in the chemical research program himself and had taken the regular physical and psychiatric examinations to make sure he was okay. He said, I agreed that I would take the drug, but when it was to be administered would be up to the medical investigator. ... 

In 2006 Joukamaa and colleagues, in the British Journal of Psychiatry, examined the mortality rates for patients diagnosed with schizophrenia in a representative population sample of 7,217 Finns age 30 and over. A comprehensive health and psychiatric examination, including... 

The clinical features, management, and prognosis of psychiatric symptoms in patients with chronic hepatitis C have been reviewed using data from 943 patients treated with interferon alfa (85%) or interferon beta (15%) for 24 weeks (333). Interferon-induced psychiatric symptoms were identified in 40 patients (4.2%) of those referred for psychiatric examination. They were classified in three groups according to the clinical profile 13 cases of generalized anxiety disorder (group A), 21 cases of... 

A 70-year-old woman with a history of mastectomy developed syncope which lasted a few seconds. She had taken tamoxifen 10 mg bd for 10 years and had no history of allergic reactions. Doppler ultrasound showed aortic stenosis and coronary angiography was performed using 150 ml of iopromide (a non-ionic contrast medium, iodine 370 mg/ml). She had visual hallucinations (spiders on the wall, moving curtains) 30 minutes after the injection of iopromide. The symptoms resolved 72 hours later without any specific treatment. Neurological and psychiatric examinations were normal, as were brain MRI and Doppler ultrasound of the carotid and vertebral arteries. 

A psychiatric examination or, in some cases, consultation with a neurologist is indicated in these situations. 

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