Misdiagnosis of the persistent postconcussion syndrome in patients with depression

Arch Clin Neuropsychol. 2006 May;21(4):303-10. doi: 10.1016/j.acn.2005.12.008. Epub 2006 Jun 23.

Abstract

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.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Depression / complications
  • Depression / diagnosis*
  • Depression / epidemiology*
  • Diagnostic Errors*
  • Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Interviews as Topic
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neuropsychological Tests / statistics & numerical data
  • Post-Concussion Syndrome / complications
  • Post-Concussion Syndrome / diagnosis*
  • Post-Concussion Syndrome / epidemiology*
  • Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / statistics & numerical data