Psychiatric patients with brain damage: Do they need special neuropsychologic treatment?

Abstract

In a period of 1 month 13 brain-damaged patients younger than 65 and not senile demented were diagnosed in a psychiatric department, serving a population of 220,000. This group of patients makes up 2–3% of the total incidence of brain-damaged persons in need of rehabilitation in the area. However, the serious neuropsychiatric problems leading to admission to a psychiatric department make these patients strain the resources of family and community more than most other brain-damaged patients. More than half of the group had suffered head traumas; three were brain-damaged because of alcoholism. Six of the patients were first-time-admitted to a psychiatric department because of neuropsychiatric sequelae of the brain damage. Compared with a group of psychiatric patients, in a neuropsychologic test in general and in tests of memory and concentration the organic patients functioned significantly lower. Differences in the medication of the two groups may have influenced the results of the psychologic tests. The neuropsychologic test results of the organic group varied from severely disturbed functions to none or very slight disturbances. In accordance with this, the staff estimated the group to have a specific need of neuropsychologic treatment differing from individual therapy, group treatment to treatment in a specific neuropsychiatric milieu.

Note

I. Efter omlaegning af psykiatrien i K0benhavns Amt pr. 1/1 1992 er befolkningsunderlaget for de psykiatriske afdelinger, KAS Glostrup 298.385 indbyggere.