PSYCHIATRIC CHARACTERISTICS OF CONSECUTIVELY EVALUATED OUTPATIENT RENAL-TRANSPLANT CANDIDATES AND COMPARISONS WITH CONSULTATION-LIAISON INPATIENTS

The purpose of this study was to empirically define psychiatric charac teristics of renal transplantation candidates and determine whether de mographic, psychiatric predisposition, psychiatric impairment, and psy chiatric diagnosis characteristics differ from those of consultation-l iaison (C-L) service inpatients. Standard clinical information recorde d by a C-L service for 66 consecutively evaluated renal transplant can didates and 134 C-L inpatients was compared. The results revealed that the transplantation evaluation patients differ demographically from t he C-L inpatients. The C-L inpatients are more likely to report past h istory of mental health treatment, but the two groups are equally like ly to report past substance use disorder treatment. Mean scores on the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale and Hamilton Anxiety and Hamil ton Depression scales are less impaired in the transplant candidates. Mini-Mental State Exam mean scores are not significantly different. Fi ve psychiatric diagnoses are significantly more likely in the C-L inpa tients; only one is more likely in the transplant candidates. The auth ors conclude that the psychiatric characteristics of renal transplant candidates are distinct in may respects, confirming the unique skills needed by C-L psychiatrists who do pretransplant psychiatric evaluatio ns.