The Old Age Psychiatry Handbook

Preface. Acknowledgements. 1 The Assessment of Patients in Old Age Psychiatry. Introduction. Setting. The psychiatric history in older patients. The Mental State Examination (MSE). Assessing cognition with limited time. Assessment of everyday functioning. Physical examination. Investigations. Neuropsychiatric testing and the memory clinic. Assessment of carers. Summary. Further reading. 2 Dementia. Definition and diagnosis of dementia. Assessment of a patient with dementia. General management of dementia. Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia. Why differentiate between the dementias? Alzheimer s disease. Vascular dementia. Dementia with Lewy bodies. Frontotemporal dementia. Less common causes of dementia. Mild cognitive impairment. Functional and molecular neuroimaging in dementia. Further reading. 3 Depression. Epidemiology. Clinical features and diagnosis. Risk factors for depression in old age. Treatment. Outcome. Prevention of depression in the elderly. Depression and dementia. Bereavement. Suicide. Further reading. 4 Bipolar Affective Disorder. Epidemiology. Aetiology. Clinical features and diagnosis. Management. 5 Anxiety Disorders and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Anxiety in the elderly. Generalised anxiety disorder. Panic disorder. Phobic disorders. Post traumatic stress disorder. Other reactions to stress. Obsessive compulsive disorder. Further reading. 6 Psychotic Illness. Schizophrenia. Schizoaffective disorder. Delusional disorder. Further reading. 7 Personality Disorders. Personality. Personality and age. Definition and classification of personality disorders. Personality disorders in old age. Management of personality disorder in old age. Further reading. 8 Alcohol. Current guidelines for alcohol consumption. Definitions. Epidemiology. Detection and screening. Consequences. Management. Further reading. 9 Insomnia. Sleep architecture. Circadian rhythm. Insomnia and consequences in the elderly. Causes of insomnia. Assessment of a patient

Dr. Niall Boyce. Dr. Joanne Rodda. Dr. Zuzana Walker , MD FRCPsych. Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant in Psychiatry of the Elderly at University College London and St. Margaret s Hospital, Epping, Essex, UK.

"A practical guide to coal face old age psychiatry. The book is packed with the kind of information it takes many years of practice to accumulate, and presents the information in a very easily digestible form. If the giants of old age psychiatry had told stories to trainees, this is what they would have told. It is clearly and concisely written." ( International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry , February 2009) "The book is written in an easy assimilated format, ideal for use in the clinic and on the ward." ( Doody s , June 2008)