Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. At the same time, ageism is a big problem for older people, with and without mental disorders. Positive elements of aging, such as resilience, wisdom and prosocial behaviors, need to be highlighted and promoted, both to combat stigma and to help protect and improve mental health in older adults.
The positive psychiatry of aging is not an oxymoron, but a scientific construct strongly informed by research evidence. We champion a broader concept of geriatric psychiatry — one that encompasses health as well as illness.
In the present paper, we address these issues in the context of four disorders that are the greatest source of years lived with disability: neurocognitive disorders, major depression, schizophrenia, and substance use disorders. We emphasize the need for implementation of multidisciplinary team care, with comprehensive assessment, clinical management, intensive outreach, and coordination of mental, physical and social health services.
We also underscore the need for further research into moderators and mediators of treatment response variability. To optimize both the safety and efficacy of pharmacotherapy, further attention to metabolic, cardiovascular and neurological tolerability is much needed, together with further development and testing of medications that reduce the risk for suicide.
(mh=guClaBWMw7Ghks1C)3.jpg "Babes in Cambridge")
It is in this context that we provide directions for future clinical care and research. That ratio is increasing significantly, especially in countries such as China 2. A common misconception is that elders are mostly a burden to society. The fact is, instead, that many of them keep on contributing in many ways, such as continued work, childcare, maintenance of the household, and meal preparation.
