Loading...
Head imaging commonly is obtained to exclude structural abnormalities in patients who present with acute psychiatric issues. In this retrospective study, investigators queried a northeastern U.S. health system database and identified all head computed tomography (CT) examinations done in emergency department (ED) and inpatient settings from 2014 to 2020 for indications of suicidal ideation, homicidal ideation, hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, catatonia, or psychosis. Patients' medical records then were reviewed, and those with concurrent nonpsychiatric indications for head CT (e.g., trauma, headache, focal neurological deficit) were excluded.
Overall, 369 patients (mean age, 60) were included in the study. Most head CTs (80%) were perfor…