The Institute of Gerontology, Home Treatment and Care, established in May 1987, provides treatment and care for old disabled and functionally dependent people in ten of Belgrade's downtown communities. Also carries out clinical and epidemiological research and training. The number of patients, their sex and age distribution vary on a daily basis, is about 1200 patients at the moment. The Mental Health Department has been an integral part of Institute from the very beginning, as we expected a high rate of mental disturbances (30-35%) according to World Health Organization (WHO). It was deeply aware that mentally disturbed old people are a great problem for both family and community. The first study of psychological disorders in elderly, which was carried out in 1987-88, 628 patients indicated that the prevalence of "marked" and "severe" psychological disorders ranged from 29.4% to 65.7%. This was higher than data obtained by WHO. This can be explained by a strictly selected sample that consisted of disabled, lonely and functionally dependent individuals was used. These findings proved our previous statement and gave new guidelines for future work: 1. Detection of mental disorders 2. Treatment of mentally ill (previously treated and newly detected) 3. Undertaking of preventive measures.
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