Late-life mood disorders.

Mental disorders are not uncommon in late life. Although most psychiatric disorders occur less frequently in older populations compared with populations of younger adults, more than 10% of older adults have one or more psychiatric disorders. In addition, many older adults present with symptoms that do not meet the criteria for a specific disorder but nevertheless are clinically significant and affect quality of life. In this article the authors summarize the epidemiologic data for five psychiatric disorders and their subclinical forms: depression, anxiety, dementia, schizophrenia, and alcoholism. Also included is a discussion of risk factors and outcomes of these disorders.