Common mental health problems
on admission
Depression can be confused with delirium,mild cognitive impairment and dementia.Unlike textbooks, where indexed chaptersseparate different mental disorders, there is often less clarity in practice. Symptoms overlap in and conditions may coexist.Some patients will not disclose symptoms for fear of being labelled “mentally ill”.Many signs of depression may appear to be physical symptoms, such as chronic fatigue, unexplained pain syndrome and disproportionate complaints associated with a physical disorder (Baldwin, 2008). It is important for general nurses to have a good understanding of the “3 Ds” – depression, dementia, delirium – and the symptoms associated with each so they can distinguish between physical and mental health problems (Box 1).