[Patients with senile dementia--a group of new long-term patients]

A research project is under way at the Department of Psychiatry of the University of Berne, Switzerland, on predictors for new long-term patients, i.e. patients treated on an inpatient basis for more than a year. In a part study all new long-term patients admitted during one year (n = 44) were compared (on the basis of socioeconomic data, disease records, level of intelligence (PMT), psychiatric signs and symptoms pattern (BPRS) and nonadjusted behaviour) with random samples taken from the hospital admissions (n = 58). The overall total of the individual results shows that the new long-term patients originate from two different populations. About 60 per cent are chronically mentally ill patients--mainly schizophrenics--who are additionally under disability in many respects. The remaining two-fifths of the new long-term patients are represented by senile demented patients. It seems that they become permanent psychiatric patients only due to the progressive course of their disease. The article discusses the ways and means to cope with the 50% increase in this patient group that we must anticipate by 2000 A. D. as a result of present age development trends.