Physical and neurologic examinations in neuropsychiatry

The direct physical examination of psychiatric patients is underutilized by clinicians and underinvestigated by researchers. Both clinicians and researchers thus bypass important information. The authors review the literature on physical and neurologic examinations, with attention to aspects of these examinations that might specifically enhance the understanding of the psychiatric patient. Coverage includes the "minor" physical anomalies and "soft" neurologic signs. Findings related to the psychiatric conditions themselves are given precedence over findings of general medical importance. Some of the available physical and neurologic examination schedules are reviewed. A unified examination protocol is presented, incorporating physical and neurologic examinations pertinent to both general medical and specifically psychiatric assessment.