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Psychiatric Morbidity in Elderly Surgical Patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Henry R. Millar
Henry R. Millar*
Affiliation:
Division of Psychological Medicine, Southern General Hospital, Glasgow G51 4TF
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Summary

One hundred patients aged 65 and over were psychiatrically assessed before and in the first week after elective surgery. Thirteen were psychiatrically ill before operation and 21 developed post-operative illness. Post-operative confusional states (14 patients) were associated with physical complications but not with environmental or pre-operative psychiatric variables. Affective disorders either improved following successful surgery (5 patients) persisted or developed after operation in association with continuing physical illness (6 patients).

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 138 , Issue 1 , January 1981 , pp. 17 - 20
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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