[Strategies of psychopharmacotherapy in the elderly (author's transl)]

The administration of psychopharmacologic drugs plays an important role in the therapeutic strategies of geriatric age groups. Like most other drugs psychopharmacological substances due to morphological and biochemical aging processes of the brain, the multimorbidity of the elderly, and the age-related differences in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, they show altered drug responsiveness which has to be considered in the selection and dosage of the psychopharmacological drugs administered. Neuroleptics, antidepressants and tranquilizers are increasingly used in the treatment of symptomatic and endogenous psychoses, reactive psychiatric disorders and sleep disorders in geriatric age groups. Some substances of choice in the treatment of special psychiatric disorders in elderly are discussed. The administration and dosage of psychopharmacolic drugs preclude the knowledge of unwanted side effects of these drugs which show increased incidence in the geriatric patients.