Schuster Jean-Pierre, Manetti Aude, Aeschimann Myriam, Limosin Frédéric
Service universitaire de psychiatrie de l'adulte et du sujet âgé, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France.
Geriatr Psychol Neuropsychiatr Vieil. 2013 Jun;11(2):181-5. doi: 10.1684/pnv.2013.0405.
Increasing life expectancy over the past half century results in higher demand for healthcare of the aging population, therefore adapting the health system to the needs. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders is high in the elderly, especially for depression. Several studies have shown that twenty percent of elderly residents of public facilities meet the criteria for major depressive episode. Depression is a major burden in the elderly, with increased risk of suicide, impaired quality of life and functional autonomy, consequences on somatic morbidity and elevated mortality rates. It is thus necessary to find out how to improve physicians' abilities to detect and treat depression in older adults. Moreover, use of psychotropic drugs is frequent and increases the risk of injury in this population more vulnerable to drug effects. It is also necessary to develop specific gerontopsychiatric wards in large general hospitals and nursing homes.
在过去半个世纪中，预期寿命的增加导致老年人口对医疗保健的需求更高，因此需要使卫生系统适应这些需求。老年人中精神疾病的患病率很高，尤其是抑郁症。多项研究表明，公共设施中20%的老年居民符合重度抑郁发作的标准。抑郁症是老年人的一项主要负担，会增加自杀风险、降低生活质量和功能自主性、对躯体发病率产生影响并提高死亡率。因此，有必要找出如何提高医生对老年人抑郁症的检测和治疗能力。此外，精神药物的使用很频繁，这增加了这个更容易受到药物影响的人群受伤的风险。在大型综合医院和疗养院设立专门的老年精神科病房也是必要的。
