Medical Mimics of Psychiatric Illness: Red Flags-Diagnosis & Pitfalls
In Episode 2.2 of Psychiatry Boot Camp, we tackle a critical and potentially life-saving topic: identifying medical conditions that mimic psychiatric illness.
Leading us through this high-yield discussion is Dr. Kimberly Nordstrom, Past President of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry and Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado. Dr. Nordstrom specializes in acute care psychiatry and offers key insights into the intersection between medical and psychiatric emergencies.
🧠 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
✔️ Why not all that looks psychiatric is psychiatric
✔️ The “red flags” that suggest a medical etiology
✔️ The importance of a systematic diagnostic approach
✔️ Core principles of creating a medical-psychiatric differential diagnosis
✔️ Common and dangerous mimics, including:
• Autoimmune encephalitis
• Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS)
• Serotonin toxicity (serotonin syndrome)
✔️ How to differentiate psychiatric disorders from toxicologic, infectious, or neurologic syndromes
✔️ When and how to escalate care or request medical workup
📌 Why This Episode Matters:
Mislabeling a medical condition as a psychiatric one can lead to devastating outcomes. Psychiatric teams must remain vigilant in acute and consult settings to identify subtle signs of underlying medical disease.
Dr. Nordstrom shares practical frameworks that emphasize:
Thinking “medical first” in new or unusual psychiatric presentations
A checklist-style triage mindset in emergency psychiatry
Avoiding premature diagnostic closure
Communicating effectively with medical teams and emergency departments
📕 Recommended Reading:
🧠 Quick Guide to Psychiatric Emergencies: Tools for Behavioral and Toxicological Situations by Dr. Kimberly Nordstrom
Buy on Bookshop.org
An essential pocket guide for psychiatrists, emergency clinicians, and crisis teams.
👩⚕️ About Dr. Kimberly Nordstrom:
• Past President, American Association for Emergency Psychiatry
• Associate Clinical Professor, University of Colorado
• Emergency psychiatry specialist and national speaker on acute care and risk management
• Author of Quick Guide to Psychiatric Emergencies
Dr. Nordstrom is a leader in improving clinical safety and diagnostic accuracy in psychiatric settings—especially when seconds matter.
🎯 Who Should Watch This Episode:
• Psychiatry and emergency medicine residents
• Hospitalists, crisis teams, and consult-liaison services
• Mental health nurses and triage clinicians
• Medical students and behavioral health professionals
• Anyone working in settings where medical and psychiatric symptoms overlap
This episode is especially important for those in emergency departments, inpatient psychiatry, and consult services.
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💬 Discussion Prompt:
Have you ever seen a case where a medical condition was mistaken for a psychiatric disorder? What’s your process for ruling out medical mimics? Let’s share clinical wisdom in the comments.
📌 Timestamps (Suggested Layout):
00:00 – Introduction to Medical Mimickers
03:15 – Red Flags for Organic Illness
06:40 – Creating a Differential Diagnosis
09:50 – Autoimmune Encephalitis
13:20 – NMS vs. Catatonia
16:00 – Recognizing Serotonin Syndrome
20:00 – Final Advice from Dr. Nordstrom
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