Dementia and mental retardation markers on the Rey 15-item Visual Memory Test

This study examined the qualitative errors of repetitions and confabulations on the Rey 15-item Visual Memory Test among 500 psychiatric patients who were divided into groups with (1) low IQ scores, (2) a diagnosis of dementia, and (3) other psychiatric diagnoses. These groups were compared on the presence of confabulated figures and repetitions on the Rey. The low IQ patients had the highest rate for both confabulations (48.2%) and repetitions (43.6%). Demented patients had the next highest rate of confabulations (39.8%) and repetitions (39.8%). The general psychiatric patients had the lowest rates on confabulations (16.2%) and repetitions (26.8%). Chi squared analysis showed that both confabulations and repetitions significantly differentiated these patients of low IQ and demented patients from general psychiatric patients. These results suggest that clinicians who use the Rey 15-item Visual Memory Test and find either confabulated or repeated figures should further explore the possibility that the patient might have low intellectual functioning or dementia.