Prevalence of psychiatric disorders in elderly inpatients of medical and surgical department

Objective: The aim of the present survey was to study the psychiatric preva lence among elderly patients of medical and surgical wards in Austria. Meth ods: 244 inpatients, 60 years and above, were investigated by research psyc hiatrists using the Clinical Interview Schedule. Results: The prevalence wa s found to be 38.7% in medical departments, and 33.0% in surgical departmen ts. According to DSM-III-R criteria, dementia (20.9%) and minor depression (7.0%) were the most frequent psychiatric categories, followed by substance abuse disorders (4.5%). Among those suffering from psychiatric disorders, 68.5% received psychotropics. Only a quarter of these drugs were prescribed by consulting psychiatrists, while about three quarters were ordered by wa rd physicians. Conclusions: These facts underline the importance of an inte nsive cooperation between specialists for somatic medicine and psychiatrist s.