Objective: In view of the fact that specialized mental health services for the elderly are virtually non-existent in our country, a geriatric mental health clinic was established in a general hospital psychiatric setup of a medical university in Lucknow (North India) in March 2000. The clinic data was analyzed with the aim to study socio-demographic profile, pattern of psychiatric illnesses and available family support in the patients registered in the clinic until January 2003.
Design: Retrospective case record study.
Materials and Methods: The patients (N=185) were evaluated retrospectively by their case records. Case records are well-detailed, structured documents specially designed for the geriatric mental health clinic. Various socio-demographic variables, psychiatric diagnoses, co-morbid physical illnesses, and available support systems were recorded.
Results: The majority of patients (74.3%) were in the age group of 65 - 74 years, from an urban background (65.3%), and from a joint family type (65.3%). Psychiatric diagnostic breakup revealed affective disorders (42.4%) as the most common, followed by organic mental disorders (21.5%) and psychotic disorders (11.8%). The most common co-morbid physical disorder was cardiovascular diseases. Any kind of support was available to 84% of the elderly, and spouses (38.8%) were the primary support and caregivers. The main motivating factor for care was respect for the elderly (42.9%) followed by a fear of society (30.6%) and cultural norms (16.3%). A sizable percentage of elderly (16%) did not have any kind of support.
Conclusion: Clinical data of our center reflects the growing mental health services needs of the geriatric population, thus advocating for provisions of more such services in India.
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