Aging Minds, Unique Challenges: Addressing Psychiatric Disorders in the Elderly Population

Overview

The population is living longer, and with that comes more psychiatric illness in older adults. Geriatric psychiatry is a specialty, but there is a shortage of specialists, along with a shortage of adult psychiatrists. This means that primary care clinicians must understand the complexities of treating psychiatric illness in older adults. Issues of assessment, lifestyle changes, and psychotropic medication management will be addressed.

The session "Aging Minds, Unique Challenges: Addressing Psychiatric Disorders in the Elderly Population" (1.0 hour) is designed to satisfy state licensure requirements (MD/DO/PA/NP) on Geriatrics and in California

Learning Objectives

• Recognize the increasing need to treat older adults for psychiatric illness
• Explain how to assess this population, which is different than assessing other age groups
• Discuss how to suggest lifestyle changes to improve mental health
• Demonstrate how to choose psychotropic medications for this population