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Caregiver Report of Hallucinations and Paranoid Delusions in Elders Aged 70 or Older

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2005

Carolyn L. Turvey
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
Susan K. Schultz
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
Stephan Arndt
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA Department of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
Vicki Ellingrod
Affiliation:
College of Pharmacy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
Robert Wallace
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
Regula Herzog
Affiliation:
Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.

Abstract

This study examined the demographic, medical, and psychiatric correlates of hallucinations and paranoid delusions reported by proxy informants for 822 elders aged 70 or older. This sample comprised people who were deemed unable to complete a direct interview in a large nationwide study of aging. Marital status, trouble with vision, and cognitive impairment were associated with report of both paranoid delusions and hallucinations. Depressive symptoms and stroke were associated with hallucinations only. These results suggest that inadequate external stimulation in the elderly leads to psychotic experiences.

Type
Articles
Copyright
© 2001 International Psychogeriatric Association

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