EPIDEMIOLOGY OF MENTAL-DISORDERS IN OLD-AGE

Large-scale epidemiological surveys have reported that the prevalence of mental disorders is low in the elderly, with the exception of cogni tive impairment, It is therefore not surprising that dementia continue s to be the major focus of epidemiological attention. A particularly h ot area is protection factors for Alzheimer's disease, in particular o estrogen replacement therapy, anti-inflammatory drugs and a high level of education. Depression is the second major focus of epidemiological research, with particular interest in the issue of whether the preval ence of depression really is lower in the elderly or whether the findi ng is a methodological artefact. Curr Opin Psychiatry 11:405-409. (C) 1998 Lippincott-Raven Publishers.