Sections
Treatment of Seniors: Introduction | Acute Confusion | Memory Loss | Insomnia | Anxiety | Suspiciousness and Agitation | Depression | Hypochondriasis | Conclusion | Key Points | Suggested Readings | References
Excerpt
Psychiatrists who work with older adults encounter
diagnostic and therapeutic problems that are more complex than those
encountered in young adult and middle-aged patients. Most older
patients with psychiatric disorders do not fit easily into the diagnostic
categories of DSM-IV-TR (American Psychiatric Association 2000) because they experience multiple symptoms that affect
both physical and psychiatric functioning. This is especially true
when treating the oldest members of this population (Blazer 2000). Once the problem is formulated by the clinician, usual
treatment approaches must be modified both to manage the functional disability
that results from the psychiatric problem and to reverse the underlying
disorder.