Disorientation in chronic psychiatric patients.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the effect of chronic institutionalization on cognitive performance in chronic psychiatric patients with emphasis on age disorientation, a phenomenon that was found in previous research to occur in up to 25% of chronic schizophrenic patients.

METHOD

One hundred and ten chronic psychiatric patients, forming 4 main groups--schizophrenic patients, nonschizophrenic patients, institutionalized, and noninstitutionalized--were examined for age disorientation (inability to give one's chronological age correctly on request), and their Minimental State scores (MMSE) were compared across the 4 groups.

RESULTS

Twelve out of 43 patients (26%) who were institutionalized according to our definition were age-disoriented and had significantly lower MMSE scores than the other 3 groups. The chronic, noninstitutionalized schizophrenic group and the other chronic psychiatric patients, whether they were institutionalized or not, were negative for this phenomenon. One of the 12 age-disoriented patients was age delusional, and 5 of the 12 had a total MMSE score consistent with dementia (21 or lower).

CONCLUSION

Age disorientation is a specific phenomenon that characterizes a subgroup of chronically ill and institutionalized schizophrenic patients. It is unlikely that chronicity per se or prolonged hospitalization alone will lead to cognitive impairment.