Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 10, 2026
06:58
Highlighting and Reducing the Impact of Negative Aging Stereotypes During Older Adults' Cognitive Testing
Published on: January 24, 2020
Generalized anxiety disorder in the elderly
F Dada1, S Sethi, G T Grossberg
1Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, St. Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
The Psychiatric Clinics of North America
|February 28, 2001
Summary
Anxiety disorders are common in older adults, but research on late-onset and longitudinal cases is limited. Effective assessment and treatment can improve seniors' quality of life.
Area of Science:
- Geriatric Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Anxiety disorders, particularly Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), are highly prevalent in the elderly population.
- There is a notable scarcity of research concerning late-onset anxiety syndromes and longitudinal studies of early-onset anxiety in older adults.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the prevalence of anxiety disorders in the elderly.
- To underscore the need for further research into the specific presentations and effective treatments for GAD in older adults.
Main Methods:
- This study is a review of current literature and clinical observations regarding anxiety disorders in the elderly.
- It synthesizes existing knowledge on the assessment and management of these conditions in older populations.
Main Results:
- Despite limited specific research, clinicians are capable of assessing and treating anxiety disorders in older adults.
- Current approaches can significantly improve the quality of life for elderly patients suffering from anxiety.
Conclusions:
- Further research is essential to fully understand the diverse manifestations of GAD in the elderly.
- Developing safe and effective non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic treatments tailored for older adults with anxiety is a critical need.
Related Concept Videos
01:18Anxiety: Overview
Anxiety is a common mental disorder featuring excessive worry, fear, and apprehension, significantly affecting daily life. People with anxiety disorders experience persistent and intense anxiety, interrupting their everyday functioning.
Individuals with anxiety often experience a range of physical and emotional symptoms, including sweating, trembling, tachycardia, and disturbances in sleep patterns. These symptoms vary in intensity and frequency but are generally disruptive and distressing.
Individuals with anxiety often experience a range of physical and emotional symptoms, including sweating, trembling, tachycardia, and disturbances in sleep patterns. These symptoms vary in intensity and frequency but are generally disruptive and distressing.
01:15Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients
Elderly individuals encompass a diverse population with varying degrees of age-related physiological changes. Defining the elderly presents challenges, as the geriatric population is often arbitrarily categorized as individuals older than 65. However, many individuals in this group lead active and healthy lives, with an increasing number surpassing 85 years and falling into the older elderly category. Physiological changes associated with aging impact performance capacity and homeostatic...
01:27Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
Age-related pharmacokinetic changes are extensively documented, but understanding age-related pharmacodynamic alterations is relatively limited. This knowledge gap can be partly attributed to the complexity of developing appropriate measures of drug responses compared to bioanalytical methods for determining drug concentrations.Most information regarding age-related differences in human pharmacodynamics originates from cross-sectional studies. However, these studies assume that observed mean...
01:30Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a chronic condition characterized by excessive and uncontrollable worry that persists for at least six months, significantly interfering with daily functioning. Unlike situational anxiety, which arises in response to specific stressors, GAD often occurs without a clear cause. Individuals may experience disproportionate worry about work, health, or relationships. For instance, a person might continuously fear poor health despite normal medical evaluations or...
01:27Panic Disorder
Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent and sudden minutes-long episodes of intense fear, known as panic attacks. These attacks may feel like heart attacks and often happen without warning or a specific cause. They can include symptoms such as rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, chest pain, trembling, sweating, dizziness, and a sense of helplessness. During a panic attack, individuals may feel as though they are experiencing a heart attack or are in a...
01:29Alzheimer Disease l: Introduction
Alzheimer disease is a chronic, progressive, and irreversible neurodegenerative disorder and the most common cause of dementia in older adults. It leads to gradual neuronal loss, causing cognitive decline, behavioral changes, and loss of functional independence.Risk Factors and EtiologyThe disease is multifactorial. Age is the strongest risk factor, with prevalence doubling every 5 years after age 65. Genetic factors include mutations in genes such as APP, PSEN1, and PSEN2, which are associated...