Hallucinations in patients admitted to a geriatric psychiatry service: review of 42 cases.

Although hallucinatory experiences may be relatively common among the elderly, isolated, and infirm, their frequency has been the subject of little research. Patient records of admissions to a 12-bed geriatric psychiatry service over three and a half years were reviewed for documented presence of hallucinatory symptoms. Hallucinations were documented in 15 per cent of the cases. Although acute and chronic brain syndromes and schizophrenic disorders were disproportionately represented in the hallucinating sample, affective disorders were also represented. A significant number of persons in this sample were single and had been living alone prior to admission and were described by family members or others as having "independent" or "reclusive" personality styles. In the majority of cases there was no history of psychiatric illness, and the individuals were distressed by the hallucinatory experiences. Symptom management is discussed in the context of factors that appear to affect occurrences and types of hallucinations and the responses to hallucinations in elderly patients.