The Differential Diagnosis of Fatigue and Executive Dysfunction in Primary Care

The diagnosis of the patient reporting fatigue or the signs of executive dysfunction can be perplexingfor the primary care physician. Both symptoms are associated with a wide range of both somaticand psychiatric symptoms and often occur together, although they can exist independently. Usingsome simple diagnostic and mnemonic tools, such as BATHE, SIG E CAPS, and SWIKIR, may aidthe clinician in differentiating possible causes of fatigue and executive dysfunction and determiningwhether they are signs of physical or mental disease.