Am J Psychiatry 1987; 144:442-447
Copyright © 1987 by American Psychiatric Association
A study of crying in medically and surgically hospitalized patients
RL Green, TW McAllister and JL Bernat
In a prospective study of hospitalized patients referred to a psychiatry
consultation service, 46 patients were referred for a presumed diagnosis of
depression because crying was a prominent symptom. Psychiatric consultation
determined that 20% had a psychiatric disorder only, 33% had a neurological
disorder only, 43% had both psychiatric and neurological disorders, and 4%
had a previously undescribed entity, "essential" crying. The most common
neurological disorder in these crying patients was bilateral hemispheric
dysfunction associated with dementia or delirium; the most common
psychiatric disorder was major depression. Effective therapy for patients
who cry depends on proper identification of the cause of crying.
