[Mental disorders in elderly hospitalized patients. Epidemiological study in an internal medicine department]

This epidemiological transversal study conducted on 100 patients older than 65 years hospitalized in the Internal Medicine department of a University hospital demonstrates the frequency of psychiatric pathology in these patients: dementia 19 percent; other psycho-organic disorders 17 percent; affective disorders 23 percent and other psychological disturbances 4 percent. Thus, 63 percent of this patient population had a mental disorder as defined by the DSM III criteria. These disorders are generally not or imperfectly identified by the internists in charge of these patients.