[Psychotherapy with the elderly in outpatient settings: are elderly patients the easier ones?]

Elderly patient's preconditions for outpatient psychotherapy are compared with regard to symptom levels, psychological and bodily functioning, and interpersonal problems with groups of younger patients. Based on the Age and Disorder-Specific Model of Psychotherapy (ADS-MP) we predicted that the group of older patients exhibits more favorable preconditions for psychotherapy as well as a shorter duration of treatments than younger groups. A total of 169 outpatients from an university clinic were divided into four groups and compared. Rates of mental disorders did not differ between the groups for all frequent disorders. The group of elderly patients did not show a difference in symptom levels although their psychological functioning was better than in the comparison groups. Two of eight interpersonal problems showed more favorable initial values for the elderly. The number of necessary therapy hours up to the treatment conclusion was significantly smaller in the older group (on average 21 hours) than with young to middle-aged patients groups. The results point to the fact that the psychological preconditions for psychotherapy in old age are good and indicate promising directions for the development of age-appropriate interventions.