Do socio-economic factors, elderly population size and service development factors influence the development of specialist mental health programs for older people?
BACKGROUND
Despite the increase in the proportion of older people in the population, little is known about factors that facilitate the development of specialist mental health services for older people.


METHODS
The relationship between the presence of specialist mental health programs for older people and elderly population size, proportion of older people in the population, gross national domestic product (GDP), and various parameters of health funding, mental health funding and mental health service provision was examined in an ecological study using data from the World Health Organization.


RESULTS
The presence of specialist mental health programs for older people was significantly associated with higher GDP, higher expenditure on healthcare and mental healthcare, the presence of a national mental health policy and a national mental health program, the availability of mental health care in primary care and the community, and higher density of psychiatric beds, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, psychologists and social workers.


CONCLUSIONS
The challenge will be to persuade policy-makers in low and medium income countries, where the increase in the elderly population is most rapid, to develop specialist mental health services for older people.
Shah
Ajit
A
Ageing, Ethnicity and Mental Health, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK. aji.shah@wlmht.nhs.uk
D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D002017:Budgets / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000600:supply & distribution; D004467:Economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004470:Economics, Medical; D005852:Geriatric Psychiatry / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006291:Health Policy / Q000191:economics; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000191:economics* / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D006280:Health Workforce; D006742:Hospital Bed Capacity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008511:Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000191:economics* / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000458:organization & administration; D011156:Population Density; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000191:economics; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013038:Specialization; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology; D014944:World Health Organization; D000092864:Suicide Prevention