Psychiatric illness and human renal transplantation.

This study focuses on physiological as well as psychological causes for psychiatric illness in renal transplant recipients. During an 18 month period 20 transplant recipients were evaluated in psychiatric consultation. A variety of psychiatric illnesses were noted with eight having a secondary depression diagnosed according to psychiatric research criteria. Case histories of these patients indicated that corticosteroid and meythyldopa therapy were significant etiologic agents in the development of the depressive syndrome. A step-wise approach to the management of patients with depressed mood or slowed thinking was proposed.