Green R L, McAllister T W, Bernat J L
Am J Psychiatry. 1987 Apr;144(4):442-7. doi: 10.1176/ajp.144.4.442.
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.
