Patterns of mental health care for the elderly. A cohort study in a Dutch register area.

Four cohorts of patients of 65 years or more who had contact with a mental health service in the first 3 months of 1975, 1977, 1979 and 1981 were followed for 1 year to study their pattern of care. Data were collected in a psychiatric case register covering a town of approximately 45,000 inhabitants in the north of the Netherlands. Patterns of care were analysed for various diagnostic groups. Findings suggest that the socially determined age of retirement of 65 years, makes less sense from a psychiatric point of view. Typical disorders of the aged, such as dementia manifest themselves in significant numbers at a much older age.