Centre for Policy on Ageing



Psychotic symptoms in the elderly — a prospective study in a population sample
Author(s)	A S Henderson, A E Korten, C Levings
Journal title	International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, vol 13, no 7, July 1998
Pages	pp 484-492
Keywords	Psychoses ; Schizophrenia ; Symptoms ; At risk ; Living in the community ; Social characteristics [elderly] ; Longitudinal surveys ; Australia.
Annotation	Most of what is known about psychotic symptoms in older people is based on hospital series of severe disorders. In the course of a longitudinal community-based survey of of older people in Canberra and Queanbeyan, Australia, the presence of psychotic symptoms was assessed on two occasions 3-4 years apart. The point prevalence was 5.7%. Risk factors were cognitive impairment, living alone, being male, having had limited education, social isolation, poor health and depressive symptoms. Of the 65 people who were symptomatic at the start, only six of those still alive had one or more psychotic symptoms after 3-4 years. The incidence was 6% over a period of 3.6 years. Risk factors for psychotic symptoms in later life lie in age-related cognitive impairment in interaction with a range of environmental and psychosocial variables. (RH).
Accession Number	CPA-980810010 A
Classmark	EL: ELK: CT: CA3: K4: F: 3J: 7YA
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.