Routine Laboratory Tests in Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatients: Their Value in Making Psychiatric Diagnoses and in Detecting Medical Disorders

Psychiatric patients have a high rate of medical problems. Several authors have suggested that laboratory screening procedures can aid in the detection of medical problems that cause or contribute to psychiatric illness. A review of 100 cases of adolescents hospitalized for an approximately 4–6-week period indicated that numerous “routine” laboratory tests were obtained. The results of these tests did not seem to change psychiatric diagnoses from those that were “functional” in nature to those that were “organic” in nature. The benefits of this screening approach from a medical standpoint were also uncertain. For the most part, while numerous abnormalities were detected, they were generally minor, felt to be clinically inconsequential, and not followed up. Careful attention to the particular tests ordered, the goals of a screening program, and follow-up of abnormal results seem essential if a screening program is to be a valuable aspect of psychiatric hospitalization.