Jr. Rundell et Rcw. Hall, PSYCHIATRIC CHARACTERISTICS OF CONSECUTIVELY EVALUATED OUTPATIENT RENAL-TRANSPLANT CANDIDATES AND COMPARISONS WITH CONSULTATION-LIAISON INPATIENTS, Psychosomatics, 38(3), 1997, pp. 269-276
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.