Psychiatrie de la personne âgée en Suisse

Abstract

Population aging is creating soaring numbers of elderly individuals suffering from mental conditions. In Switzerland, the last half century has seen the emergence of geriatric psychiatry (GA) in association with this growth. This field is currently being developed primarily towards healthcare for ill seniors and consultation-liaison services. As an interface-type medical field, focusing on all mental diseases affecting the elderly, GA must incorporate basic training in this field for a wide range of physicians and other caregivers. To this end, it was essential it became a recognized and identified branch of psychiatry. This recognition was formalized in 2006 with the creation of an extensive training scheme on psychiatry and psychotherapy for the elderly. GA represents a necessary branch of medicine in the continued struggle to reduce the Swiss Mental Health Gap and the double stigmatization of old age and mental illness. Great challenges await GA and our society at large in the fight against elderly mental disease, yet also in creating opportunities that undoubtedly exist when considering the inherent cultural richness of all elderly individuals, regardless of their health.