In this article the authors detail two of the most common psychiatric disorders in dialysis-patients: depressive mood- and psycho-organic disorders. Special attention is given to the complex differential diagnostics, e.g. the differentiation between depression and uremia. In addition they report the psychiatric findings in 44 dialysis-patients admitted between 1986 and 1990 to the Academic Medical centre (AMC) in Amsterdam.

The authors conclude that the psychotherapeutic treatment of the patients mainly consists of supportive and structuring interventions. The psychiatrist may try to prevent communication problems in the team and devote some attention to the emotional aspects. Since all psychotherapeutic drugs, with the exception of lithium, are not dialysable, dosage adjustment always implies reduction of the dosage. Lithium can be administered in single gifts after each dialysis session.