CONTENTS

Table of Contents
Introduction

1. Overview
2. Recognizing Alcohol Misuse and Abuse in Older Adults
3. Alcohol and Aging
4. Diagnosing Alcohol Problems in Older Adults
5. Recognizing Other Forms of Substance Abuse
6. Prevention and Early Intervention Strategies
7. Treatment
8. Outcomes and Cost Issues in Alcohol Treatment for Older Adults
9. Legal and Ethical Issues

Supplements
Resources

At Any Age, It Does Matter:
Substance Abuse and Older Adults (for Professionals)

Other Psychiatric Disorders

There are other psychiatric disorders (e.g., schizophrenia, obsessive and compulsive behaviors) that complicate the treatment of abuse and addiction. In these instances, treatment options must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. However, all programs considered for referral should include medical and mental health personnel skilled in responding to those disorders.

Although suicide is not a specific psychiatric disorder, there is a significant relationship among aging, alcohol use, and suicide. In 1997, the highest suicide rates were for white men over 85, who had a rate of 65/100,000.⁷⁶ Alcohol use nearly doubles the risk of suicide by firearm.⁷⁷

Patients who attempt suicide require immediate and intensive inpatient therapy for as long as the illness persists. Providers must be alert to the possibility of major depression, which is common in older adults, evolving into suicidal tendencies.

It helps if family and significant others, clergy, social workers, and home health care providers are knowledgeable about the warning signs for suicide. The symptoms are more frequently manifested in nonclinical settings.