Abstract
Many investigators have noted the high frequency of medical disorders among psychiatric patients, and the fact that medical disorders can mimic functional psychiatric illnesses (e. g., Marshall, 1949). An extensive literature documents failures to diagnose physical illness among psychiatric patients (Lazare, 1989). There are a number of reasons, which may be classified as patient-related, physician-related, or disease-related (Hoffman & Koran, 1984). For example, certain characteristics of the psychiatric patient may conspire to thwart an accurate medical diagnosis. Psychiatric patients may be unattractive (e. g., dirty, unkempt, malodorous, and hostile), may be uncooperative, or may have difficulty communicating clearly, and these factors may discourage accurate history taking or a thorough physical examination. Psychiatric patients may also be less likely to show evidence of physical pain, even in the face of acute, life-threatening medical illness (Talbott & Linn, 1978).
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O’Boyle, M., Cinciripini, P. (1993). Medical Complications with Adults. In: Bellack, A.S., Hersen, M. (eds) Handbook of Behavior Therapy in the Psychiatric Setting. Critical Issues in Psychiatry. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-2430-8_9
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