PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC TREATMENT IN THE ELDERL Y - STATE-OF-THE-ART

The whole literature on psychotherapy in old age since 1970 is reviewe d. Treatment concepts, both general and specific to age, of psychoanal ytic psychotherapy, Gestalt therapy, drama therapy, behaviour therapy, cognitive therapy and Personal Construct therapy are discussed in com parison. About 650 papers or monographs are evaluated. Selection crite rion was the employment of an elaborated psychotherapy method in Strot zka's sense. The characteristics of indication, setting and technical modifications of these different therapeutic methods are presented. Ir respective of the method, the manifold possibilities of family and gro up psychotherapy for the elderly are emphasized. An overview of all av ailable psychotherapy studies shows that psychotherapy in old age is g enerally promising. The paper tries to contribute to the discussion re quired on concepts of development and illness in the process of ageing . Only this way can issues of differential indications and future outc ome-oriented psychotherapy studies be elaborated.