Disorganization Assessment Questionnaire

Why: to determine if acute or chronic.

Why: although people may think they are disorganizes, true medical disorganization is more severe than the common problems of everyday life. Disorganization as a symptoms refers to a person's ability to be organized in their social or occupational life.

Why: may suggest previous episodes of depression, different phases of bipolar affective disorder or dysthymia.

Why: e.g. if elderly consider dementia and depression. Depression can have bizarre features in the elderly and may be misdiagnosed as dementia or psychosis. Agitated depression is the most frequent type of depression in the elderly. Other symptoms in the elderly may include histrionic behavior, delusions and disordered thinking and they can certainly appear disorganized.

Why: some medications may increase the risk of depression e.g. beta-blockers, anti-Parkinson drugs, corticosteroids, anti-cancer drugs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, combined oral contraceptive pill, progesterone-only contraceptives.

Why: may help in determining whether alcoholism is the cause of depression, dementia, delirium or dysthymia.

Why: may cause depression or delirium.

Why: e.g. depression, schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease.

Why: e.g. depressed mood, crying spells, anhedonia (loss of interest or pleasure), increase or decrease in appetite (usually decreased), weight loss or gain, insomnia or increased sleeping (usually early morning waking), fatigue, loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness, feelings of excessive guilt, poor concentration, difficulty making decisions, low libido, thoughts of death or suicide attempt - may present with disorganization.

Why: e.g. episodes of depression (often psychotic in intensity) and at other times episodes of psychotic excitement (mania or hypomania). Symptoms of psychotic excitement may include elevation of mood, increased activity, grandiose ideas, irritability, disinhibition (which affects social, sexual and financial behavior), rapid speech and racing thought, delusions (persecutory or grandiose) and sometimes hallucinations. The depression or the manic phase may present with detachment.

Why: e.g. hallucinations, delusions, disordered thought - may suggest schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder, severe depression, dementia or delirium - all of which may present with disorganization.

Why: e.g. impaired memory, impaired judgement and thinking, impaired verbal fluency and impaired ability to perform complex tasks. Personality may change, impulse control may be lost and personal care deteriorates. People with dementia may also have psychiatric symptoms such as delusions, paranoid ideas, hallucinations, mood disturbance and behavioral disturbance - Dementia e.g. Alzheimer's disease, Multi-infarct dementia, Huntington's disease, Pick's disease may present with disorganization.

Why: e.g. impaired conscious level with onset over hours or days, disorientation in time and/or place, unusually quite, drowsy, agitated, delusions, auditory hallucinations, visual hallucinations. Delirium is an acute confusional state due to many causes e.g. infection, drug intoxication, alcohol withdrawal, liver failure, kidney failure, hypoxia (reduced oxygen levels in the blood), low blood sugar, stroke, heart attack or head injury.

Why: e.g. symptoms follow exposure to an unusual stress such as a battle, being attacked or raped or a natural disaster. Symptoms include recurrent and intrusive recollections of the stress, recurrent distressing dreams of the event, acting or feeling as if the event was recurring, intense distress on exposure to resembling events, persistent avoidance of events that symbolize or resemble the trauma, increased arousal symptoms such as insomnia, exaggerated startle response, poor concentration and moodiness - Post-traumatic stress disorder may present with disorganization.

Why: may suggest attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.