Clinical profile of psychotic disorders in the elderly: A retrospective study

Abstract

Background: Much about psychotic disorders in the elderly remains obscure due to exclusion of this age group in a majority of studies. H owever, as the population ages, this problem is expected to increase. The study was conceived with the aim of assessing the clinical profile of psychotic disorders in the elderly. Settings: Psychiatry out-patient department of a teaching hospital in Northern India. Design: Retrospective chart review. Material and methods: The sample comprised of all the patients with psychosis who were 60 years or older. Data p er taining to socio-demographic details and clinical features were obtained from the medical records and analysed using descriptive statistical methods. The patients with onset of psychosis before 60 years of age wer e compared with those who developed psychosis after or at the age of 60 years using Chi-square analysis. Results: A total of 72 patients met the inclusion criteria. The most common diagnosis was schizophrenia (40%) followed by bipolar disorder (30.5%). Family history of psychiatric illness was present in 34.7% of the sample, out of which psychosis NOS (12.5%) was the most common diagnosis. When compared to patients with onset before 60 years, those with onset af ter 60 years had higher frequency of precipitating factors and co-morbid medical illness and lesser frequency of psychiatric illness in the FDRs. Conclusion: There is an ever increasing need to study the psychotic disorders in elderly as a distinct clinical entit y. Future research could pave the way for better preventive and management strategies for psychosis in this vulnerable age group. © 2015, Indian Academy of Clinical Medicine. All rights reserved.