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Prevalence of mental disorders in the elderly: the Australian National Mental Health and Well-Being Survey. 2007

Julian N Trollor, and Tracy M Anderson, and Perminder S Sachdev, and Henry Brodaty, and Gavin Andrews
Neuropsychiatric Institute, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, NSW, Australia. j.trollor@unsw.edu.au

OBJECTIVE To describe the 1- and 12-month prevalence of mental disorders, their demographic correlates, and their impact on service utilization and disability in individuals 65 years of age and over in a comprehensive epidemiological survey of mental health in Australia. METHODS A noninstitutionalized national probability sample of elderly Australian residents was interviewed as part of the Australian National Mental Health and Well-being Survey (NMHWS). The prevalence of International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition mental disorders was estimated from the Composite International Diagnostic Interview and other screening instruments. RESULTS Of 1,792 elderly NMHWS respondents, 13% reported symptoms consistent with a mental disorder in the past 1 month, and 16% reported symptoms consistent with a mental disorder in the past 12 months. Women experienced higher rates of affective disorders and generalized anxiety disorder and had lower rates of substance abuse compared with men. After excluding cognitive disorder, increasing age was associated with less likelihood of having symptoms of any mental disorder. Older age and never having been married were associated with less likelihood of having symptoms of an affective disorder. Those with cognitive impairment were more likely to have had symptoms consistent with an affective disorder. Comorbidity was predictive of increasing disability on the 12-item Short Form but rates of mental health consultation were low, even for those with multiple disorders. CONCLUSIONS Community-dwelling elderly Australians experience substantial rates of mental disorders. Demographic correlates of mental disorder in this elderly population appear to differ from those established in younger populations. Mental disorder in elderly Australians is associated with significant disability, but rates of specialist mental health consultation is low, even for those with multiple comorbidities. The reasons for this must be examined.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D008605 Mental Health Services Organized services to provide mental health care. Mental Hygiene Services,Health Services, Mental,Services, Mental Health,Services, Mental Hygiene,Health Service, Mental,Hygiene Service, Mental,Hygiene Services, Mental,Mental Health Service,Mental Hygiene Service,Service, Mental Health,Service, Mental Hygiene
D011795 Surveys and Questionnaires Collections of data obtained from voluntary subjects. The information usually takes the form of answers to questions, or suggestions. Community Survey,Nonrespondent,Questionnaire,Questionnaires,Respondent,Survey,Survey Method,Survey Methods,Surveys,Baseline Survey,Community Surveys,Methodology, Survey,Nonrespondents,Questionnaire Design,Randomized Response Technique,Repeated Rounds of Survey,Respondents,Survey Methodology,Baseline Surveys,Design, Questionnaire,Designs, Questionnaire,Methods, Survey,Questionnaire Designs,Questionnaires and Surveys,Randomized Response Techniques,Response Technique, Randomized,Response Techniques, Randomized,Survey, Baseline,Survey, Community,Surveys, Baseline,Surveys, Community,Techniques, Randomized Response
D003710 Demography Statistical interpretation and description of a population with reference to distribution, composition, or structure. Demographer,Demographic,Demographic and Health Survey,Population Distribution,Accounting, Demographic,Analyses, Demographic,Analyses, Multiregional,Analysis, Period,Brass Technic,Brass Technique,Demographers,Demographic Accounting,Demographic Analysis,Demographic Factor,Demographic Factors,Demographic Impact,Demographic Impacts,Demographic Survey,Demographic Surveys,Demographic and Health Surveys,Demographics,Demography, Historical,Demography, Prehistoric,Factor, Demographic,Factors, Demographic,Family Reconstitution,Historical Demography,Impact, Demographic,Impacts, Demographic,Multiregional Analysis,Period Analysis,Population Spatial Distribution,Prehistoric Demography,Reverse Survival Method,Stable Population Method,Survey, Demographic,Surveys, Demographic,Analyses, Period,Analysis, Demographic,Analysis, Multiregional,Demographic Analyses,Demographies, Historical,Demographies, Prehistoric,Distribution, Population,Distribution, Population Spatial,Distributions, Population,Distributions, Population Spatial,Family Reconstitutions,Historical Demographies,Method, Reverse Survival,Method, Stable Population,Methods, Reverse Survival,Methods, Stable Population,Multiregional Analyses,Period Analyses,Population Distributions,Population Methods, Stable,Population Spatial Distributions,Prehistoric Demographies,Reconstitution, Family,Reconstitutions, Family,Reverse Survival Methods,Spatial Distribution, Population,Spatial Distributions, Population,Stable Population Methods,Technic, Brass,Technique, Brass
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000368 Aged A person 65 years of age or older. For a person older than 79 years, AGED, 80 AND OVER is available. Elderly
D001315 Australia The smallest continent and an independent country, comprising six states and two territories. Its capital is Canberra. Canton and Enderbury Islands,Christmas Island,Christmas Island (Australia)
D001523 Mental Disorders Psychiatric illness or diseases manifested by breakdowns in the adaptational process expressed primarily as abnormalities of thought, feeling, and behavior producing either distress or impairment of function. Mental Illness,Psychiatric Diseases,Psychiatric Disorders,Psychiatric Illness,Behavior Disorders,Diagnosis, Psychiatric,Mental Disorders, Severe,Psychiatric Diagnosis,Illness, Mental,Mental Disorder,Mental Disorder, Severe,Mental Illnesses,Psychiatric Disease,Psychiatric Disorder,Psychiatric Illnesses,Severe Mental Disorder,Severe Mental Disorders
D015995 Prevalence The total number of cases of a given disease in a specified population at a designated time. It is differentiated from INCIDENCE, which refers to the number of new cases in the population at a given time. Period Prevalence,Point Prevalence,Period Prevalences,Point Prevalences,Prevalence, Period,Prevalence, Point,Prevalences

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