Dissertation

Brief Symptom Inventory as an Indicator of Appropriate Level of Care for Inpatient Hospitalization

Campbell, Marshall Scott

2011

Overview

Depression is one of the most common disorders encountered by mental health professionals. It is estimated that approximately 30% of all clinically depressed patients attempt suicide; half of them ultimately die by suicide. Assessment of suicidal patients is one of the main tasks for the mental health practitioner in an emergency unit. The risk of suicidal behavior is difficult to accurately predict, yet crucial to the effective prevention of suicide. This study examined the use of the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) as a predictor of level of care for psychiatric patients in an emergency department. A sample of 62 patients who presented for psychological evaluation participated in the study. Their ages ranged from 18 to 60 years (mean ± SD = 28.5 ± 12.5 years). Fifty-five percent of the sample was female. Most of the patients were diagnosed with depression or anxiety disorders, but a wide spectrum of conditions and severity was sampled. Participants were given the BSI following traditional interview methods in determining the necessary level of psychiatric care. The results of this study indicated that the BSI Global Symptom Index (GSI) was the clearest predictor of inpatient hospitalization. BSI scores for female participants were more distinctly separated between groups than were the scores for male participants. The participants’ level of education is inversely correlated to inpatient hospitalization. Key words: depression, suicide, brief symptom inventory

• Publisher: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
• Subject: Clinical psychology / Personality psychology / Quantitative psychology
• ISBN: 9781124622033, 1124622039