Mild cognitive impairment diagnosed with the new DSM‐5 criteria: prevalence and associations with non‐cognitive psychopathology

OBJECTIVE: To contrast the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) as diagnosed using DSM-5 criteria (DSM5-MCI) with MCI as diagnosed using Petersen's criteria (P-MCI) and to explore the association of both with non-cognitive psychopathological symptoms (NCPS). METHOD: A two-phase epidemiological screening was implemented in a population-based sample of individuals aged 55+ (n = 4803). The Geriatric Mental State (GMS) was the main psychopathological instrument used, and AGECAT was used to make psychiatric diagnoses. Research psychiatrists diagnosed DSM5-MCI and P-MCI using operational criteria. Logistic regression models were then used to investigate the association of MCI with anxiety and depression and with NCPS. RESULTS: Weighted prevalence of DSM5-MCI and P-MCI was, respectively, 3.72% and 7.93% for the aged 65+. NCPS were common in both MCI categories, but negative-type symptoms such as 'anergia' and 'observed slowness' were considerably more frequent among persons with DSM5-MCI. Anxiety and depression diagnostic categories were associated with both P-MCI and DSM5-MCI, but affective-type symptoms were mainly associated with P-MCI. Some negative-type symptoms were inversely associated with P-MCI, and no association was observed with DSM5-MCI. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of DSM5-MCI was half that of P-MCI. Negative-type NCPS were more frequently and typically associated with DSM5-MCI.