Delusional symptomatology as seen by a community mental health outreach team

Delusional symptomatology arising in late life may be common but. not well understood, particularly among elderly individuals who remain living in the community. In this study, approximately 15% of all cases seen by a geriatr ic mental health outreach tram in a six-month interval involved clients wit h delusional beliefs. The nature of the delusional presentation, interventi ons employed, and barriers to intervention were compared between a group of individuals with delusions, bur no evidence of dementia (n = 16) and a gro up with delusions and dementia (n = 29). Overall, a feeling of being plotte d against by others was the most common delusion and approximately half of the individuals in each group reported hallucinations. In addition to diffe rences in psychiatric history, preoccupation with delusions, and delusional content, the groups were clearly distinguished in terms of compliance with treatment; moreover, non-compliance was viewed as the main barrier to effe ctive intervention. Implications and suggestions for future research are di scussed.