Differential diagnosis | Characteristics |
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Delirium | Sudden onset of symptoms with disorientation and confusion |
Organic psychosis | Organic (especially neurological, endocrinological and metabolic) symptoms in addition to psychosis |
Drug effect | Medication started or increased before the onset of symptoms |
Memory disorder | Memory impairment and extensive impairment in functioning |
Schizophrenia | Long history of mental illness, incoherent speech, odd behaviour |
Delusional disorder or late-onset schizophrenia-like psychosis | Tightly logical, coherent delusional system focused on a specific theme, but otherwise relatively capable of functioning, no significant memory impairment. In schizophrenia-like disorder, additionally diverse psychotic symptoms. |
Depression | Depressive mood, hopelessness, submission, and often somatic delusions |
Old-age mania | Joyless overactivity and paranoid accusations, irritability |
Paranoid personality disorder | Long-term predisposition to distrustfulness and reserve, no clearly distorted sense of reality |
No psychiatric diagnosis | Enjoys being alone, avoids social contacts, no noteworthy problems with the environment, fends for him-/herself |