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Delirium classification by the diagnostic and statistical manual – a moving target

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 April 2015

Karin J. Neufeld
Karin J. Neufeld*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA Email: kneufel2@jhmi.edu
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Extract

The following paper, entitled “A Comparison of Delirium Diagnosis in Elderly Medical Inpatients using the CAM, DRS-R98, DSM-IV and DSM-5 Criteria” by Adamis and colleagues, reports the results of a single delirium assessment of 200 medical inpatients, aged 70 years and older. The aim was to compare the prevalence of delirium using two different diagnostic classification systems (DSM-5 and DSM-IV) and two commonly used research tools (Confusion Assessment Method and the Delirium Rating Scale-Revised ‘98). This editorial focuses on the comparison of the two versions of the DSM. The authors conclude that, while both diagnostic systems identify a core concept of delirium, the DSM-IV criteria are the most inclusive of the four approaches and the DSM-5, the most restrictive, identifying a prevalence of 19.5% and 13%, respectively in this sample. Furthermore, they conclude that these two systems do not appear to detect the same patients: only 14 of 26 (54%) individuals identified as delirious by the more exclusive DSM-5 criteria were also identified as such by DSM-IV.

Type
Commentary paper of the month
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 27 , Issue 6 , June 2015 , pp. 881 - 882
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2015 

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References

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