Mental illness and disability among elders in developing countries: the case of Nepal.
OBJECTIVE
This article attempts to document the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among elders in a rural village in Nepal. In addition, we investigate the relationship between psychiatric illness and functional disability to assess the impact of disorder on social functioning.


METHODS
A semistructured interview checklist to diagnose six disorders was used (N = 182). In addition, elders older than age 60 were examined to assess the functional impact of mental health conditions by measuring functional disability.


RESULTS
Eighteen percent of elders seem to have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder. Furthermore, in general these elders were also less likely to receive assistance with the disabilities they report, compared with those who do not experience a psychiatric disorder.


CONCLUSIONS
Documenting the extent of psychiatric disorder among elders in developing societies sensitizes health planners to the growing reality of aging in their societies and the need for expanded physical and psychiatric health care services.
Department of Sociology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA. subedis@muohio.edu.
Sree
S
Subedi
Mark
M
Tausig
Janardan
J
Subedi
C L
CL
Broughton
Sarah
S
Williams-Blangero
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology; D003710:Demography; D003906:Developing Countries; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009390:Nepal / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012423:Rural Health