[Psychiatric disorders in the elderly and psychosocial background. A study of geriatric inpatients]. / Psychiatrische Störungen im Alter und deren psychosoziale Hintergründe. Eine Untersuchung an stationären geriatrischen Patienten.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: In the past, little attention was paid to psychiatric problems of geriatric inpatients. One reason for this may be that little is known about the necessity and the dimension of psychiatric help in this population. METHODS: Psychiatric morbidity was studied in a sample of geriatric inpatients aged 65 years and older. RESULTS: Dementia was found in 26%, depressive disorders in 22%, alcohol abuse in 11% and benzodiazepine abuse in 2%. 38% had no psychiatric disorder. Dementing disorders were more frequent in older patients, other disorders showed no association to age. Men had a better education level and higher professional positions but more frequent psychiatric disorders than women. Neither social network nor financial situation was related to psychiatric disorders. But chronic somatic diseases were associated with depressive disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Psychiatric disorders are frequent and affect geriatric treatment. A collaboration between psychiatrists and geriatrics should therefore be a necessity and not an exception.