Screening for Brain Dysfunction in Psychiatric Patients

This book presents how medical diseases can be misdiagnosed as psychiatric disorders and how clinicians without extensive training in the neurosciences can do a competent job of screening psychiatric clients for possible brain disorders. In the author¹s work, he has seen over and over again how medical diseases can present with what appear to be classic psychological symptoms. The client is not only misdiagnosed but is then denied the medical treatment he or she needs. The research cited in this book, dating back to the 1890s, establishes beyond a doubt that such misdiagnoses are more common than most clinicians would guess. This book focuses on one type of medical condition that is likely to be misdiagnosed: brain injuries and illnesses. The psychological consequences of known brain injuries and illnesses have been adequately addressed in the literature and will not be a part of this book. Rather, this book examines the situation in which a person comes for psychiatric help but in reality has an as yet unknown brain problem. Clearly, the consequences of a misdiagnosed brain disorder can range from at best improper treatment to at worst a life-threatening situation. By presenting and discussing the signs that are available to clinicians in the course of their usual work with clients, this book will help clinicians screen for brain problems and recognize when the client should be referred to a specialist for further evaluation.