Mental Health Care for the Aged

It has become common to observe that specialised services are provided for certain groups of people, like, for example, Child psychiatry services. Alcohol and drug abuse services, and community psychiatry services. Similarly there has been a need to evolve specialised mental health care for the aged people. Though the number of mental health professionals are small in number compared to the extent of the problems there is a need for specialised services for certain category of population like children, adolescents, elderly persons. Among these problems children have been receiving special attention whether it is physical health or mental health problem. The awareness regarding the need for specialised services for the aged has not been very strong. In the Western countries geriatric psychiatry has been a sub-speciality since many years. In India only at a few centres, probably, a weekly clinic is held for the geriatric population. It is important to know that those aged 60 years and above constitute 6% of the country's population numbering about 43 millions. Also, this figure is expected to reach 60 millions round the turn of this century. By the year 2025 the proportion of the elderly is predicted to escalate to 12% of the population from its present 6%. In light of this it is necessary for mental health professionals to take appropriate steps now in order to deal with the geropsychiatric problems. With the standard of public health care improving the longevity of the individuals has gradually increased and this is the reason why the population of the aged is gradually increasing.