Mental health

Delirium is a psychiatric and medical emergency with rates as high as 50% in older hospitalized patients.[1] A substantial number of patients are delirious upon admission or later develop delirium during the course of hospitalization. 

Current estimates indicate that the prevalence of dementia will more than double over the next 30 years. By 2030, there will be more than 1 million Canadians with dementia. The majority of individuals with dementia will have Alzheimer disease (AD),[1] a situation requiring physicians to understand the use of cholinesterase inhibitors for treatment of symptoms.

As a result of two cases currently before the BC Supreme Court, the question of legalizing assisted suicide is once again in the media. The legal argument is straightforward: if suicide itself is legal then assisting suicide should be legal as well. Otherwise, the law against assisted suicide is the only one on the books that makes assisting a legal act illegal. This I can understand, although the legal nuances escape me.

In the early 1900s “geriatrics” was a new word. Today geriatric psychiatry is a recognized subspecialty informed by substantial knowledge of human physiology. Medical science, particularly preventive medicine, has contributed dramatically to the great swell of elderly populations—and programs aimed at preventing heart disease, diabetes, alcoholism, and other diseases have proven that health promotion is effective.

Depression is the most common mental health problem in the elderly[1] and is associated with a significant burden of illness that affects patients, their families, and communities and takes an economic toll as well. Prevalence studies suggest that 14% to 20% of the elderly living in the community experience depressive symptoms,[2] with higher rates among the elderly in hospital (12% to 45%)[3] and even higher rates in long-term care facilities (an estimated 40%).[4]