Senile confusion: assessment with a new stimulus recognition test.

There is a need for rapid and convenient assessment instruments to test the aged for senile confusion due to organic brain syndrome (OBS). The Mental Status Questionnaire (MSQ) and the Face-Hand Test (FHT) have certain limitations. A valid instrument must measure short-term memory loss and recognition. Sixty-two patients were examined in 17 different trials of the Stimulus Recognition Test (SRT), which involves 10 items. Each item classified the patients according to staff ratings (P less than .001), MSQ MSQ scores (P less than .005), and FHT scores (P less than .005). The composite MSQ score on a scale of 0--10 also served to separate the patients according to staff ratings (P less than .005). The SRT scores correlated .81 to .67 with the MSQ and FHT scores. The SRT does not show the same false positive patterns as the MSQ and FHT. For that reason, it constitutes a useful diagnostic supplement. Suggestions for further research are made.