Mdedge Psychcast

Richa Bhatia, MD, conducts a Masterclass on how to identify medical and neurologic illnesses that present with psychiatric symptoms and mimic psychiatric diagnoses. Dr. Bhatia is a board-certified general and child and adolescent psychiatrist in private practice. She has no disclosures. Take-home points Psychiatric diagnoses are diagnoses of exclusion. Psychiatric clinicians must maintain a high level of clinical suspicion for medical and neurologic illnesses that present with psychiatric symptoms and mimic psychiatric diagnoses. When patients have a “strange” presentation of their psychiatric illness, including being out of the usual age range, a fast progression, or an unusual constellation of symptoms, clinicians should pursue a medical work-up and think broadly about other diagnoses that might mimic the psychiatric diagnosis. Dr. Bhatia provides an overview of common medical and neurologic illnesses that mimic psychiatric diagnoses, including hypothyroidism, delirium, HIV/AIDS, Addison disease, autoimmune