Diagnosing mental illness in the elderly

Diagnosing mental illness in the elderly is difficult because changes in physical and psychologic functioning may mimic psychiatric disorders. The reverse is also true. Although chronologic age is not related directly to predisposition to mental illness, the stresses experienced by elderly persons as a result of declining health and loss of social status may result in mental disorders. Accurate diagnosis, which takes all these factors into account, is particularly important for the rational treatment of elderly patients.