Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-tf8b9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T07:05:26.790Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Social Psychiatry of Later Life

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

A. S. Henderson
A. S. Henderson*
Affiliation:
Social Psychiatry Research Unit, National Health and Medical Research Council, GPO Box 4, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Throughout the two million years of human existence, it is without precedent that the elderly should now constitute such a large proportion of the world's population. Although it is already trite to emphasise this remarkable change in the global population structure, the increase is nothing less than an awesome imperative for public health as a socially responsible science. By the year 2025 AD, the United Kingdom will have 14 million persons aged over 60, which would be 26% of the population. Just under two million of them will be over 80 years old (United Nations, 1985). In Australia and New Zealand, 24.8% of the population will be aged 60 years or more. About one million Australians will be 80 years or over. West Germany will have 2.4 million aged over 80, the USA 7.7 million. The People's Republic of China will have 19.3% of its 1.5 billion people who will be aged over 60, and over 25 million will be over 80 years.

Type
Lecture
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 156 , Issue 5 , May 1990 , pp. 645 - 653
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1990 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

American Psychiatric Association (1980) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd edn) (DSM–III). Washington, DC: APA.Google Scholar
Andrews, G. & Hadzi-Pavlovic, D. (1988) The work of Australian psychiatrists, circa 1986. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 22, 153–165.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bergmann, K., Foster, E. M., Justice, A. W., et al (1978) Management of the demented elderly patient in the community. British Journal of Psychiatry, 132, 441–449.Google Scholar
Beyreuther, K., Beer, J., Hilbich, C., et al (1988) Molecular pathology of amyloid deposition in Alzheimer's disease. In Etiology of Dementia of Alzheimer's Type (eds Henderson, A. S. & Henderson, J. H.). Chichester: John Wiley.Google Scholar
Blazer, D., Hughes, D. C. & George, L. K. (1987) The epidemiology of depression in an elderly community population. Gerontologist, 27, 281–287.Google Scholar
Brayne, C. & Calloway, P. (1990) The diagnosis of dementia in the community: a comparison of methods. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry (in press).Google Scholar
Brown, G. W. & Harris, T. (1978) Social Origins of Depression: A Study of Psychiatric Disorder in Women. London: Tavistock.Google Scholar
Cooper, B. (1988) Epidemiological research on dementia: problems of case-finding and diagnosis. Zeitschrift für Gerontopsychologie und -psychiatric, 3, 193–203.Google Scholar
Cooper, B., Jaeger, J. & Bickel, H. (1989) Soziale Isolation, psychische Erkrankung und Altersverlauf. Eine epidemiologische Untersuchung. In Soziales Netzwerk (ed. Angermeyer, M. C. & Klusmann, D.), pp. 231–246. Berlin: Springer Verlag.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Copeland, J. R. M., Kelleher, M. J., Kellett, J. M., et al (1975) Cross-national study of diagnosis of the mental disorders. British Journal of Psychiatry, 126, 11–20.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Copeland, J. R. M., Gurland, B. J., Dewey, M. E., et al (1987) Is there more dementia, depression and neurosis in New York? A comparative community study of the elderly in New York and London, using the computer diagnosis, AGECAT. British Journal of Psychiatry, 151, 466–473.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Creasey, H., Jorm, A., Longley, W., et al (1989) Monozygotic twins discordant for Alzheimer's disease. Neurology, 39, 1474–1476.Google Scholar
Deary, I. J. & Whalley, L. J. (1988) Recent research on the causes of Alzheimer's disease. British Medical Journal, 297, 807–809.Google Scholar
Dormandy, T. L. (1988) In praise of peroxidation. Lancet, ii, 1126–1128.Google Scholar
Eaton, W. W. & Kessler, L. G. (1981) Rates of symptoms of depression in a national sample. American Journal of Epidemiology, 114, 528–538.Google Scholar
Erikson, E. H. (1961) Identity and the Life Cycle — Selected Papers. New York: International University Press.Google Scholar
Folstein, M. F., Folstein, S. E. & McHugh, P. R. (1975) ‘Mini-Mental State’: a practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 12, 189–198.Google Scholar
Gavrilova, S. I. (1977) Clinico-epidemiologic study of the mental state of a group of elderly persons from the general population (Russian). Zhurnal Neuropatologii i Psikhiatrii Psikhiatr., 77, 1382–1389.Google Scholar
Gilleard, C. J. (1987) Influence of emotional distress among supporters on the outcome of psychogeriatric day care. British Journal of Psychiatry, 150, 219–223.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gilleard, C. J., Gilleard, E., Gledhill, K., et al (1984) Caring for the elderly mentally infirm at home: a survey of the supporters. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 38, 319–325.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goldberg, D. P. & Huxley, P. (1980) Mental Illness in the Community: the Pathway to Psychiatric Care. London: Tavistock Publications.Google Scholar
Grad, J. & Sainsbury, P. (1968) The effects that patients have on their families in a community care and a control psychiatric service — a two-year follow-up study. British Journal of Psychiatry, 114, 265–278.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gruenberg, E. M. (1990) The Epidemiology of Mental Disorders. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Gurland, B. J. (1976) The comparative frequency of depression in various adult age groups. Journal of Gerontology, 31, 283–292.Google Scholar
Gurland, B. J. (1981) The borderlands of dementia: the influence of sociocultural characteristics on rates of dementia occurring in the senium. In Clinical Aspects of Alzheimer's Disease and Senile Dementia, Aging, vol. 15 (eds Miller, N. E. & Cohen, G. D.), pp. 61–84. New York: Raven Press.Google Scholar
Gurland, B. J., Copeland, J., Kuriansky, J., et al (1983) The Mind and Mood of Aging. London: Croom Helm.Google Scholar
Hagnell, O., Lanke, J., Rorsman, B., et al (1983) Current trends in the incidence of senile and multi-infarct dementia. Archives of Psychiatry and Neurological Sciences, 233, 423–438.Google Scholar
Hasegawa, K., Honma, A., Sato, H., et al (1984) The prevalence study of age-related dementia in the community (Japanese). Geriatric Psychiatry, 1, 94–105.Google Scholar
Henderson, S. (1974) Care-eliciting behavior in man. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disorders, 159, 172–181.Google Scholar
Henderson, S. (1977) The social network, support and neurosis; the function of attachment in adult life. British Journal of Psychiatry, 131, 181–191.Google Scholar
Henderson, S. (1988a) An Introduction to Social Psychiatry. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Henderson, S. (1988b) The risk factors for Alzheimer's disease: a review and a hypothesis. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 78, 257–275.Google Scholar
Henderson, S., Byrne, D. G. & Duncan-Jones, P. (1981) Neurosis and the Social Environment. Sydney: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Henderson, S., Grayson, D. A., Scott, R., et al (1986a) Social support, dementia and depression among the elderly living in the Hobart community. Psychological Medicine, 16, 379–390.Google Scholar
Henderson, S., Scott, R. & Kay, D. W. K. (1986b) The elderly who live alone: their mental health and social relationships. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 20, 202–209.Google Scholar
House, J. S., Landis, K. R. & Umberson, D. (1988) Social relationships and health. Science, 241, 540–545.Google Scholar
Jorm, A. F. (1990) The Epidemiology of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders. London: Chapman & Hall.Google Scholar
Jorm, A. F., Korten, A. & Henderson, A. S. (1987) The prevalence of dementia: a quantitative integration of the literature. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 76, 465–479.Google Scholar
Jorm, A. F. & Henderson, A. S. (1990) Use of private psychiatric services in Australia: an analysis of Medicare data. Australian and New Zealand of Psychiatry (in press).Google Scholar
Karasawa, A., Kawashima, K. & Kasahara, H. (1982) Epidemiological study of the senile in Tokyo metropolitan area. Proceedings of World Psychiatric Association Regional Symposium (eds Ohashi, H., Nakayama, K., Saito, M. et al), pp. 285–289. Tokyo: Japan Society of Neurology and Psychiatry.Google Scholar
Kay, D. W. K. & Bergmann, K. (1966) Physical disability and mental health in old age. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 10, 3–12.Google Scholar
Kay, D. W. K., Henderson, A. S., Scott, R., et al (1985) Dementia and depression among the elderly living in the Hobart community: the effect of the diagnostic criteria on the prevalence rates. Psychological Medicine, 15, 771–788.Google Scholar
Kessel, N. (1965) Are international comparisons timely? Milbank Memorial Fund Quarterly, 43, 199–204.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Klerman, G. L. (1988) The current age of youthful melancholia: evidence for increase in depression among adolescents and young adults. British Journal of Psychiatry, 152, 4–14.Google Scholar
Konner, M. J. (1972) Aspects of the developmental ethology of a foraging people. In Ethological Studies of Child Behaviour (ed. Burton-Jones, ). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Li, G., Shen, Y. C., Chen, C. H., et al (1989) An epidemiological survey of age-related dementia in an urban area of Beijing. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 79, 557–563.Google Scholar
Lowenthal, M. F. (1965) Antecedents of isolation and mental illness in old age. Archives of General Psychiatry, 12, 245–254.Google Scholar
Macdonald, A. J. D. (1986) Do general practitioners “miss” depression in elderly patients? British Medical Journal, 292, 1365–1367.Google Scholar
Macmillan, D. (1960) Preventive geriatrics: opportunities of a community mental health service. Lancet, ii, 1439–1441.Google Scholar
Martyn, C. N. & Pippard, E. C. (1988) Usefulness of mortality data in determining the geography and time trends of dementia. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 42, 134–137.Google Scholar
McWhorter, W. & White, L. (1987) Risk factors for dementia in a national longitudinal study: preliminary findings. Paper presented to a NIMH Workshop, Bethesda, 8–9 June (unpublished).Google Scholar
Morris, R. G., Morris, L. W. & Britton, P. G. (1988) Factors affecting the emotional wellbeing of the caregivers of dementia sufferers. British Journal of Psychiatry, 153, 147–156.Google Scholar
Motohiro, S. (1985) The prevalence study on age-associated dementia in Fukuoka City. Geriatric Psychiatry, 2, 919–927.Google Scholar
Murphy, E. (1982) Social origins of depression in old age. British Journal of Psychiatry, 141, 135–142.Google Scholar
Myers, J. K., Weissman, M. M., Tischler, G. L., et al (1984) Six-month prevalence of psychiatric disorders in three communities. Archives of General Psychiatry, 41, 959–967.Google Scholar
O'Connor, D. W., Pollit, P. A., Hyde, J. B., et al (1988) Do general practitioners miss dementia in elderly patients? British Medical Journal, 297, 1107–1110.Google Scholar
Parker, G. (1987) Are the lifetime prevalence estimates in the ECA study accurate? Psychological Medicine, 17, 275–282.Google Scholar
Parsons, P. L. (1965) Mental health in Swansea's old folk. British Journal of Preventive and Social Medicine, 19, 43–47.Google Scholar
Philp, I. & Young, J. (1988) An audit of a primary care team's knowledge of the existence of symptomatic demented elderly. Health Bulletin, 46/2, pp. 93–97. Edinburgh: Scottish Home & Health Department.Google Scholar
Pilowsky, I. (1969) Abnormal illness behaviour. British Medical Journal of Medical Psychology, 42, 347–351.Google Scholar
Pilowsky, I. (1988) Abnormal illness behaviour. In Handbook of Social Psychiatry (eds Henderson, A. S. & Burrows, G. D.). Amsterdam: Elsevier.Google Scholar
Post, F. (1972) The management and nature of depressive illnesses in late life: a follow-through study. British Journal of Psychiatry, 121, 393–404.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Regier, A., Boyd, J. H., Burke, J. D., et al (1988) One-month prevalence of mental disorders in the United States. Archives of General Psychiatry, 45, 977–986.Google Scholar
Robins, L. N., Helzer, J. E., Croughan, J., et al (1981) National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule. Its history, characteristics, and validity. Archives of General Psychiatry, 38, 381–388.Google Scholar
Robins, L. N., Helzer, J. E., Weissman, M. M., et al (1984) Lifetime prevalence of specific psychiatric disorders in three sites. Archives of General Psychiatry, 41, 949–958.Google Scholar
Rorsman, B., Hagnell, O. & Lanke, J. (1986) Prevalence and incidence of senile and multi-infarct dementia in the Lundby Study: a comparison between the time periods 1947–1957 and 1957–1972. Neuropsychobiology, 15, 122–129.Google Scholar
Roth, M. & Kay, D. W. K. (1956) Affective disorder arising in the senium. II. Physical disability as an aetiological factor. Journal of Mental Science, 102, 141–150.Google Scholar
Sartorius, N. (1988) Social psychiatry: future directions — a global view. In Handbook of Social Psychiatry (eds Henderson, A. S. & G. Burrows, D.). Amsterdam: Elsevier.Google Scholar
Scott, J. P. (1969) The emotional basis of social behaviour. Annals of the New York Academy of Science, 159, 777–790.Google Scholar
Shefer, V. F. (1987) Under- and over-diagnosis of feeble-mindedness of old age, and Alzheimer's disease in psychiatric patients (Russian). Journal of Neuropathology and Psychiatry, 87, 987–991.Google Scholar
Shibayama, H., Kasahara, Y., Kobayashi, H., et al (1986) An epidemiological survey on the age associated dementia resided in the community in Aichi prefecture. Geriatric Psychiatry, 3, 223–235.Google Scholar
Silverman, C. (1968) The epidemiology of depression — a review. American Journal of Psychiatry, 124, 883–891.Google Scholar
Sulkava, R., Wilstrom, J., Aromaa, A., et al (1985) Prevalence of severe dementia in Finland. Neurology, 35, 1025–1029.Google Scholar
United Nations (1985) The World Aging Situation: Strategies and Policies. New York: UN.Google Scholar
Weiss, R. S. (1974) The provisions of social relationships. In Doing Unto Others (ed. Rubin, Z.), pp. 17–26. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.Google Scholar
Wells, Y. & Jorm, A. F. (1987) Evaluation of a special nursing home unit for dementia sufferers. A randomized controlled comparison with community care. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 21, 524–531.Google Scholar
Wells, Y., Jorm, A. F., Jordan, F., et al (1990) Effects on care-givers of special day care programmes for dementia sufferers. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry (in press).Google Scholar
Weyerer, S. (1983) Mental disorders among the elderly. True prevalence and use of medical services. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 2, 11–22.Google Scholar
Williamson, J., Stockoe, I. H., Gray, S., et al (1964) Old people at home: their unreported needs. Lancet, i, 1117–1120.Google Scholar
Zhao, Y. Z. (1986) The research and analysis of psychoses of different kinds of drug dependence, and personality disorders in 12 different regions of China. Chinese Journal of Neurology and Psychiatry, 19, 70–71.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.