[Driving ability, mental illness and psychotropic medication in the elderly].
Fitness to drive in elderly drivers is most commonly discussed with a focus on cognitive impairment. Therefore, this article is focussing on mental illness and the use of psychotropic drugs in elderly drivers, which can both interfere with fitness to drive. Based on a detailed literature review and on clinical judgement, we propose signposts and "red flags" to judge the individual risks. Health professionals dealing with elderly patients should in particular be aware of the dangers related to cumulative risks and need to inform the patients appropriately. For medico-legal reasons the information provided to patients must be written down in the medical record. Individual counselling is important as fitness to drive is a complex topic.
Anne-Laure
AL
Serra
Armin
A
von Gunten
Urs
U
Mosimann
Bernard
B
Favrat
D000368:Aged; D001334:Automobile Driving; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003376:Counseling / Q000379:methods; D004282:Documentation; D006801:Humans; D008499:Medical Records; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012307:Risk Factors
D011619:Psychotropic Drugs