The authors have studied the syndromal, nosological, sex and age characteristics of the patients registered at the gerontopsychiatric room of a general somatic district polyclinic as compared with the same parameters in mental outpatients of late age. It has been demonstrated that a new organizational form of specialized help (gerontopsychiatric consultations at the primary level of health care) makes it possible to ascertain mental disturbances of a borderline nature in old people and to expand the provision of therapeutic and rehabilitative measures to people not registered at outpatient psychiatric institutions.