Prevalence of psychiatric disorders among older adults in long-term care homes: a systematic review

Abstract

Dementia, depression and anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric disorders among older adults in LTC. Many psychiatric disorders appear to be more prevalent in LTC settings when compared to those observed in community-dwelling older adults. Policy-makers and clinicians should be aware of the common psychiatric disorders in LTC and further research into effective prevention and treatments are required for this growing population.

Use of medication and psychological counselling among Canadians with mood and/or anxiety disorders

“…However, the findings should be considered in light of several limitations. First, the generalizability of our study findings is limited due to the exclusion of Canada's three territories and some populations known to be at greatest risk for mental illness, such as Aboriginal peoples 54,55 living on Indian reserves or Crown lands, the homeless, 56 institutionalized patients 57 and prison residents 58 from the survey.…”

The 2014 Survey on Living with Chronic Diseases in Canada on Mood and Anxiety Disorders: a methodological overview

“…Associations between different factors can be explored; however, causal inferences cannot be drawn from the results due to the survey's cross-sectional design. 55 While the 2014 SLCDC-MA was developed to be nationally representative, the generalizability of the data to the entire Canadian population may be restricted due to the exclusion of the territories and some populations known to be at risk for mental illness, such as Aboriginal peoples 51,52 living on reserves or Crown lands, the homeless, 56 institutionalized patients, 57 and prison residents. 58 The study sample is also limited to Canadians who sought care and received a mood and/or an anxiety disorder diagnosis.…”

Health status, activity limitations, work-related restrictions and level of disability among Canadians with mood and/or anxiety disorders

“…Individuals living in the three territories, and some populations known to be at risk for mental illness such as Aboriginal people living on reserves or Crown lands, 52,53 the homeless, 54 institutionalized residents 55,56 and fulltime members of the Canadian Forces 57 were not included. For instance, it is well known that the prevalence of major depression among Canadian seniors living in long-term care facilities is higher (3-4 times) than those living in private dwellings, 55,58 and that the level of disability among those living in correctional facilities is much higher than those living in the community. 56,59 In light of this, the results of this study likely underestimate the impacts of mood and anxiety disorders on affected Canadians.…”