Clinical utilization of the rating scale of mixed states (GT-MSRS) in a psychiatric inpatient unit: a retrospective study

: Mixed states are often underdiagnosed, with important consequences in terms of worsening prognosis, frequent admission to the hospital, higher suicide risk and poorer quality of life. For this reason, we analyzed retrospective data from patients admitted in the Psychiatric Hospital from January 1st to April 30th 2019 to identify clinical features of the mixed states by administering the G.T. MSRS scale. Within the 90 subjects of the sample, the large majority (75%) met criteria for mixed state. Of those only 16 were discharged with a diagnosis of Affective Disorder, however 26 (30.9%) were prescribed a mood stabilizer. This study shows that there is a high prevalence of mixed states in the inpatient unit admission, which is demonstrated both from the prescription of mood stabilizers, and confirmed by the diagnosis of mixed states rated with the scale. The scale can be a useful instrument to detect early in the course if the hospitalization the presence of mixed state, in order to guide a tailored psychopharmacological treatment, and improve prognosis.