OBJECTIVE: To examine the somatic complaints, functional impairment, and psychiatric comorbidity in elderly patients with medically unexplained symptoms (MUSs). METHOD: A consecutive case series of 37 patients referred for MUS to a multidisciplinary, outpatient clinic at a secondary care mental health center in the Netherlands. All patients underwent a standardized examination by a geriatrician, psychiatrist, and psychologist. RESULTS: For three patients, a somatic explanation was found, and in two, their symptoms spontaneously resolved before a diagnosis could be made. Of the remaining 32 patients with MUS, depressive disorders were present in 18 (56%), anxiety disorders in 10 (31%), and substance use disorders in 6 patients (19%). Compared with nondepressed patients with MUS, depressed patients had more severe somatic symptoms, more psychological symptoms, and more functional impairment. CONCLUSIONS: As the authors found a high comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders in elderly patients with MUSs, a systematic psychiatric examination should be part of their multidisciplinary assessment.
OBJECTIVE: To examine the somatic complaints, functional impairment, and psychiatric comorbidity in elderly patients with medically unexplained symptoms (MUSs). METHOD: A consecutive case series of 37 patients referred for MUS to a multidisciplinary, outpatient clinic at a secondary care mental health center in the Netherlands. All patients underwent a standardized examination by a geriatrician, psychiatrist, and psychologist. RESULTS: For three patients, a somatic explanation was found, and in two, their symptoms spontaneously resolved before a diagnosis could be made. Of the remaining 32 patients with MUS, depressive disorders were present in 18 (56%), anxiety disorders in 10 (31%), and substance use disorders in 6 patients (19%). Compared with nondepressed patients with MUS, depressedpatients had more severe somatic symptoms, more psychological symptoms, and more functional impairment. CONCLUSIONS: As the authors found a high comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders in elderly patients with MUSs, a systematic psychiatric examination should be part of their multidisciplinary assessment.
Authors: Maria Christina Dehoust; Holger Schulz; Martin Härter; Jana Volkert; Susanne Sehner; Anna Drabik; Karl Wegscheider; Alessandra Canuto; Kerstin Weber; Mike Crawford; Alan Quirk; Luigi Grassi; Chiara DaRonch; Manuel Munoz; Berta Ausin; Anna Santos-Olmo; Arieh Shalev; Ora Rotenstein; Yael Hershkowitz; Jens Strehle; Hans-Ulrich Wittchen; Sylke Andreas Journal: Int J Methods Psychiatr Res Date: 2017-02-01 Impact factor: 4.035
Authors: D J C Hanssen; T J W van Driel; P H Hilderink; C E M Benraad; P Naarding; T C Olde Hartman; P L B J Lucassen; R C Oude Voshaar Journal: Eur Psychiatry Date: 2020-05-20 Impact factor: 5.361