THE CONTRIBUTION OF COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT, MEDICAL BURDEN, AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY TO THE FUNCTIONAL STATUS OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRIC-INPATIENTS

In order to define the contributions of cognitive impairment, medical burden, and psychopathology to the functional status of geriatric psyc hiatric patients, a forward looking, retrospective study of 106 consec utive,e admissions to a geriatric psychiatric unit at the Houston Vete rans Affairs Medical center Hospital was done. It was found that psych opathology and cognitive status, but not medical burden, contributed t o the variance in functional status of geriatric psychiatric inpatient s for both admission scores and for changes in scores during hospitali zation. Improvements in cognitive state and psychopathology were assoc iated with improvements in functional status during hospitalization. ( C) 1998 Elsevier Science Inc.