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Is routine physical examination of psychiatric in-patients really necessary?

Fromeside Clinic, Blackberry Hill Hospital, Stapleton, Bristol BS16 1ED

Although there are some well recognised physical disorders such as Intracranial lesions that can present with mental illness, many psychiatric conditions do not appear to be associated with underlying somatic complaints. However, a number of recent studies have shown that there are often high rates of concurrent medical conditions among acute psychiatric in-patients that were previously undiagnosed or unsuspected. The author illustrates this point by presenting two case studies in which a significant medical condition was only identified after physical examination on a psychiatric unit.