This study evaluated the clock drawing test (CDT), a screening test sensitive to executive function, in 70 elderly psychiatric consultation patients. The CDT was compared to the Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE) on associations with psychiatric diagnoses, disposition status and radiographic findings. CDT and MMSE were correlated, and scores differed across psychiatric subgroups. In multivariate analysis, only age and CDT predicted disposition status. A lower CDT score correlated with a higher intercaudate ratio, indicating greater caudate atrophy. These findings suggest that the CDT indicates underlying subcortical pathology and deficiencies in executive function important for self-care.

Consulting psychiatrists frequently encounter geriatric patients and, given patterns of diagnosis and aftercare, should play a major role in medical staff education and in development of enhanced in-hospital and aftercare services, including psychiatric liaison.