Common psychiatric disorders among the elderly attending a general psychiatric out patient clinic in Accra, Ghana: a five year retrospective study (1989-1993).

Details of thirty-five (35) elderly patients aged from sixty (60) years and upwards, who had attended a general psychiatric outpatient clinic, and duly registered as new patients between 1989-1993 were analysed. Depressive illness using the ICD-10 diagnostic criteria was found to be the predominant diagnostic category. This was followed by Dementia and Paranoid delusional disorder. No significant psychosocial contributory factors were elicited among the depressives. However, among the demerits there was a strong association with a previous history of excessive alcohol intake, especially the locally brewed Gin-Akpeteshie among the males. Paranoid delusional disorder was found to be commoner among females, a third of those having had similar disorder in the past, and was associated with partial blindness and partial deafness. The majority of the patients were living with relatives. The implications of these findings with regards to future planning and the care of the elderly are discussed.