Psychiatric aspects of geriatric crisis intervention

Data on 64 geriatric patients treated by the Psychiatric Crisis Team at the Jewish General Hospital were reviewed. A control group of non-geriatric patients was selected at random for comparison. The average age of the geriatric group was 69.4 years compared to 33 in the control group. Women predominated in the geriatric group. Precipitating factors were more easily delineated in the geriatric group. Physical illness, loss of a close relative and relocation were the most common precipitating events in the geriatric group. Depression, psychotic and neurotic, was the predominant diagnosis in the older group and schizophrenic psychosis in the control group. Compared to the control group, the geriatric patients were discharged sooner and were more easily managed. Only two geriatric patients required institutionalization. The study supports the value of prompt and comprehensive geriatric crisis intervention.