Page 26 - Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments in Psychiatry

26 | Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments in Psychiatry

− The patient evidences unusual symptoms that are difficult
for the physician to deal with.
− A history of atypical response or failure to respond to
treatment.
− A history of doctor shopping.
− A failure to carry out the physician’s recommendations.
− The absence of concern (in the patient) in the face of serious
complaints.
− Symptom onset concomitant with, or exacerbated by,
particular people or stressful life events.
− Apparent secondary gain (i.e., disease allows him/her to
miss work, gain sympathy, etc.) resulting from physical
symptomatology.
The following symptoms indicate that medical illness is more
likely (Diamond 2007):
− A change in headache pattern.
− Visual disturbances (e.g., double vision or partial visual loss).
− Speech deficits, either dysarthrias (problems with the
mechanical production of speech sounds) or aphasias
(difficulty with word comprehension or word usage).
− Abnormal autonomic signs, such as blood pressure, pulse,
temperature.
− Disorientation or memory impairment.
− Fluctuating or impaired level of consciousness.
− Abnormal body movements.
− Frequent urination, increased thirst (possibly symptoms of
diabetes).
− Significant weight change, gain or loss.

Conditions That Cause Psychiatric Symptoms
Medical conditions can cause symptoms that mimic any
psychiatric diagnosis. The most common psychiatric
complaints—psychosis, anxiety, and depression—are known to