Variations in the reported age of a patient: A source of bias in the diagnosis of depression and dementia.

The presence of bias in assessing organic vs depressive pathology in the elderly psychiatric population has been clinically observed in the apparent tendency to overattribute cognitive deficits to senile dementia. In the present study, 21 male and 15 female 26–49 yr old clinical psychologists were presented with a taped interview in which the age of a 64-yr-old male with depressive pseudodementia was varied (either 55 or 75 yrs). It was assumed that the ambiguity involved in determining the etiology of the patient's cognitive deficits would elicit a social or diagnostic bias related to his age. Results show the presence of a bias, with a greater attribution of organic symptoms reflective of senile dementia and fewer judgments of depression when the patient was described as elderly rather than middle-aged. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)