Psychiatry Services For Older Adults
Hanley Center’s Psychiatry Department is comprised of four compassionate professionals, including a geriatric psychiatrist, who work in collaboration with other members of Hanley’s multi-disciplinary team. Our main goals are to evaluate older adults for co-occurring disorders and determine the most effective therapy for dealing with a dual diagnosis, including
- Anxiety
- Panic disorders
- Depression
- Mood disorders
- ADHD
- Trauma
- Phobias
- Eating disorders
- Obsessive compulsive disorders
Assessment
Our psychiatrists evaluate older adults through an assessment process that includes a one-on-one interview, mental status examination, and thorough history, including
- Personal, family, and social history
- Mental health and psychiatric treatment history
- Medications taken currently or in the past
- Life stressors
- Traumatic experiences
- Violent or suicidal tendencies
- Substance abuse history, including alcohol, illicit and prescription drugs
- Medical history
Treatment
Based on this assessment, the psychiatrist establishes a diagnosis, provides recommendations for medication management, and creates a treatment plan that addresses the older adult’s biological, psychological, and social needs.
Treatment for older adults can be quite different from treatment for their younger counterparts. They approach life at a different pace and with a different mindset. In general, older adults are more committed to alcohol and drug detox and recovery because of their age, health and past life experience.
Older adults more often experience loss – of friends, family, sense of purpose – which may result in grief and depression.
Many older adults also experience chronic pain, which may contribute to addiction to prescription medications. In the case of chronic pain, the dosing of medication in older adults with a co-occurring disorder will be different from dosing in younger adults.
If an older adult exhibits signs and symptoms of dementia, he or she must first complete detox before the psychiatrist can determine if the dementia is alcohol-induced or if it is clinical.
If necessary, each older adult will meet with a psychiatrist at least once a week, for a one hour session of individual therapy. Because of the factors unique to older adults, the type of therapy approach can differ from that in younger adults.
