Screening the elderly in the community for psychiatric disorder.
The use of the 30-item GHQ as a screening instrument in a community population aged 70 years and older was examined. An acceptable sensitivity (70%) and specificity (84%) was obtained. As in the younger age groups, the GHQ was not good at detecting chronic, generalised anxiety disorders. The GHQ is best used in combination with the MMSE to screen out cases of dementia in an elderly population.
Clinical Research Unit, Graylands Hospital, Mt Claremont, WA.
B J
BJ
Mowry
P W
PW
Burvill
D000368:Aged; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000639:trends; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008403:Mass Screening; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D014904:Western Australia / Q000453:epidemiology