Mental Illness Trumps Dementia in Nursing Homes

Dan Frith

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I thought I would share the results of a recently published study with the readers of this blog. The study, "Trends in Mental Health Admissions to Nursing Homes,1999 - 2005" was published in Psychiatric Services.

Most people assume that many nursing home residents suffer from dementia or Alzheimer's Disease. This study refutes this assumption in a big way. The study concludes that more residents suffer from a mental illness (such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, or anxiety disorder) than dementia.

My Take: Nursing home Administrators should be on the lookout for these residents and not assume the residents are suffering from dementia and not a mental illness, which can be treated medically. Unfortunately, in my experience, most nursing homes just assume the resident suffers from dementia and tells the family there is nothing which can be done to improve the resident's quality of life.