THE BRIEF PSYCHIATRIC RATING-SCALE (BPRS) IN GEROPSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH .2. REPRESENTATIVE PROFILE PATTERNS

Cluster analysis methods were used to classify Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale profiles for a sample of 88 geropsychiatric patients. Five distinct profile patterns represented adequately most differences in symptom and behavior characteristics of the aged patient. The five phenomenological types are described as agitated dementia, retarded dementia, anxious depression, withdrawn depression and paranoid psychosis. Appropriateness of this nomenclature is examined with reference to clinical diagnosis, mental status examination and drug treatment. Prototype profile patterns that can be used to classify future geropsychiatric patients are presented, and a sequence of clinical decisions that should result in similar partitioning of the patient population is discussed.