Provided by David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D.
Surgeon General of the United States of America
Chapter 2
Epidemiology of Mental Illness
Older Adults
The annual prevalence of mental disorders among older adults (ages 55 years and older) is also not as well documented as that for younger adults. Estimates generated from the ECA survey indicate that 19.8 percent of the older adult population have a diagnosable mental disorder during a 1-year period (Table 2-8). Almost 4 percent of older adults have SMI, and just under 1 percent has SPMI (Kessler et al., 1996); these figures do not include individuals with severe cognitive impairments such as Alzheimer’s disease.
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