A Self‐Insured Free Policy for Geriatric Mental Health

E-ISSN： 1532-5415|20|10|490-496

ISSN： 0002-8614

Source： JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Vol.20, Iss.10, 1972-10, pp. : 490-496

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Abstract

ABSTRACT: The authors interviewed 100 psychogeriatric patients whom they knew well, and obtained their responses to 6 questions concerning what the patient would like to be doing in one year, five years, and ten years versus what he would expect to be doing in one year, five years, and ten years. These 100 cases were subdivided into: Group I, 22 patients who had psychiatric functional illnesses (no organic brain syndromes); Group II, 39 patients who had recovered from their functional illness; and Group III, 39 patients who responded both when ill and when recovered. As a control, 100 geriatric persons who had never been mentally ill were similarly interviewed (Group IV). Except for a negligible number of optimistic replies, chiefly in Group IV, the responses were consistently pessimistic. Apparently the elderly person can develop a “no expectations” mental attitude that protects against frustration and disappointment. This amounts to a premium‐free insurance policy for mental health and may be a reason why the incidence or prevalence of functional mental illness is no greater in the elderly than in the young.