[The elderly in general psychiatry]

The Danish National Board of Health recommends that the counties offer psychogeriatric services. The target group for geriatric psychiatry in the County of North Jutland only concerns elderly people with severe dementia. It has been our aim to describe and discuss the geriatric psychiatric supply of services and admission pattern for elderly with psychiatric morbidity in the County of North Jutland. We have made a cross-sectional study of all patients referred to the general and psychogeriatric service in 1997. In psychogeriatric service 40 of 46 referrals were dealt with as out-patient contact. In general psychiatry the 57 referrals resulted in 33 admissions of which 31 were acute. There is a high number of acute admissions in general psychiatry. The County of North Jutland does not have a suitable service for diagnostic work-up and treatment of people with possible to moderate dementia.