[Inappropriate psychopharmacological treatment of the elderly. A 1-year study]

The psychogeriatric department in the county of Arhus is in a unique position to collect cases of old people treated with psychotropics in various inappropriate ways in hospital wards or by general practitioners. In 1991 the department was in contact with 768 elderly people mostly on an outpatient basis among whom 40 patients exhibited accumulated errors of psychopharmacologic treatment. The treatment episodes were analysed. The patients were very old (mean 80.8 years) with severe somatic morbidity. A majority were demented or delirious. 75% were living in nursing homes. The treatment episodes exhibited polypharmacy and large doses of neuroleptics (mean 0.7 DDD/day) or benzodiazepines (mean 1.41 DDD/day). Psychotropics not suitable for elderly patients were used in 34 patients. Indications for treatment were mostly unspecified behavioural disturbances, sometimes reflecting inappropriate social support. The majority of patients had side effects, sometimes rendering the patient more acceptable to staff and other residents.