What should be taught in psychogeriatrics: a personal viewpoint

Psychiatry is part of medicine. The goals of medical practice should endorse a biopsychosocial view of illness, and practitioners should accept responsibility for all phases of illness: from the acute stage through rehabilitation to recovery or chronicity. Bedside instruction should emphasize basic clinical skills in history taking and a standard examination that includes the mental state. Liaison psychiatry offers an opportunity for training in psychogeriatrics and for the psychiatrist to re-enter the medical setting in providing health care to the elderly.