title: Geriatric patients on a substance abuse consultation service.
abstract: The authors describe the demographic and substance use characteristics of older adults (N=310) evaluated by a hospital-based substance abuse consultation service during a 6-year period and compares them to younger adults evaluated by the service. Older adults were more likely to use alcohol and less likely to be injection drug users and heroin, cocaine, or polysubstance users. Elderly patients were also more likely to be admitted for cardiac or gastrointestinal conditions and less likely to be admitted for infections. We estimated that only 1% of older adults admitted to the hospital were referred for substance abuse consultations. Our results suggest that substance use disorders in elderly patients are underdiagnosed and undertreated in the hospital setting.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
authors: Eric
authors: E
authors: Weintraub
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Weintraub
authors: Lisa
authors: L
authors: Dixon
authors: Janine
authors: J
authors: Delahanty
authors: Devang
authors: D
authors: Gandhi
authors: Arthur
authors: A
authors: Cohen
authors: Mary
authors: M
authors: Hirsch
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008396:Maryland; D008875:Middle Aged; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*