Mental disorders in the nursing home: another perspective
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Many studies of the prevalence of mental disorders among residents of long-term care facilities have had substantial methodological shortcomings. This study was conducted to replicate a previous well-designed study and to examine additional characteristics of nursing home residents. METHOD: Randomly selected residents (N = 80) in a public long-term care facility were evaluated by a psychiatric team using DSM-III-R criteria and quantitative assessments of behavior and cognitive status. RESULTS: Of the 80 subjects, 91% had at least one psychiatric diagnosis and at least one behavioral problem; 50% had four or more behavioral problems. In addition, 29% had received psychiatric care before admission, and 61% received psychiatric care after admission. CONCLUSIONS: These findings replicate those of the few prior studies that used analogous research techniques, but those previous studies were conducted in private, intermediate-care institutions whose residents had different demographic characteristics. The mental health needs of these residents are substantial and should be addressed by the medical community and the nursing home industry.
Access content
To read the fulltext, please use one of the options below to sign in or purchase access.- Personal login
- Institutional Login
- Sign in via OpenAthens
- Register for access
-
Please login/register if you wish to pair your device and check access availability.
Not a subscriber?
PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5 library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development.
Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).
