Geriatric psychiatry

Geriatric psychiatry
SystemNervous system, Mental health
Significant diseasesAlzheimer's disease, Vascular dementia, Dementia with Lewy bodies, Parkinson's disease, Depression, Bipolar disorder, Schizophrenia, Delirium, Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, Substance use disorder
Significant testsMental status examination, Cognitive testing, Neuroimaging
SpecialistGeriatric psychiatrist

Geriatric psychiatry, also known as geropsychiatry, psychogeriatrics or psychiatry of old age, is a branch of medicine and a subspecialty of psychiatry dealing with the study, prevention, and treatment of neurodegenerative, cognitive impairment, and mental disorders in people of old age.[1][2][3] Geriatric psychiatry as a subspecialty has significant overlap with the specialties of geriatric medicine, behavioural neurology, neuropsychiatry, neurology, and general psychiatry. Geriatric psychiatry has become an official subspecialty of psychiatry with a defined curriculum of study and core competencies.[4]

  1. ^ Barraclough, J.; Gill, D. (1996). Hughes' outline of modern psychiatry. (4th ed.) New York: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-471-96358-5
  2. ^ Bowden, V.M.; Long, M.J. (1995). Geriatric psychiatry. Journal of the American Medical Association, 273, 1395.
  3. ^ Harkins, S. (16 April 2003). "Glossary of Terms". Retrieved 17 October 2007.
  4. ^ Fischer, Corinne E.; Ismail, Zahinoor; Rapoport, Mark J. (January 17, 2013). "Geriatric Psychiatry or Psychogeriatrics? Partnership at the CAGP/CCSMH 2012 Scientific Meeting". Canadian Geriatrics Journal. 16 (1): 3–5. doi:10.5770/cgj.16.66. PMC 3578771. PMID 23441142 – via cgjonline.ca.