Can and should neurologists screen their patients for depression? Yes, and...

The boundary between neurology and psychiatry is often an artificial one. Sharing an organ system, neurologists refer to diseases of the brain and nervous system, whereas psychiatrists diagnose and treat disorders of the mind. The distinction is one more of perspective than the actual state of our respective patients. The elegant approach of neuroanatomical localization does not neatly accommodate mood and thought disorders, whereas focal neurologic diseases are considered outside the spectrum of psychiatric disease. However, the prevalence of psychiatric disease in the neurologic population is considerable. Patients suffering from epilepsy, multiple sclerosis (MS), and stroke are all at much greater risk than the population at large for anxiety and depression.1 Whether these comorbid conditions are, in truth, features of the underlying neurologic disorder is a matter of debate. Still, as neurologists, we ignore them at our peril.

Source: Neurology Clinical Practice - June 7, 2020 Category: Neurology Authors: Ney, J. P., Satya-Murti, S. Tags: Cost effectiveness/economic, Diagnostic test assessment, All Clinical Neurology, Depression, All epidemiology Editorial Source Type: research