Geriatric Mental Health Care: A Treatment Guide for Health Professionals

This essential guide is designed for mental health practitioners and primary care providers without advanced training in geriatric psychiatry. Gary J. Kennedy sets forth a clear framework for understanding the interplay of medical, psychological, and social factors in frequently encountered problems among older adults. Clear guidelines are delineated for assessing and treating such conditions as depression and anxiety, dementia, psychosis and mania, sleep disturbances, personality and somatoform disorders, substance abuse, and suicidality. Throughout, the book focuses on ways to sustain seniors' independence and overall quality of life while enhancing their adaptive capacities.

Winner--American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Award (2000

See also the author's Geriatric Depression: A Clinical Guide, which distills the best available interventions for depression in older adults in a highly accessible format.

Gary J. Kennedy, MD, is Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Director of the Division of Geriatric Psychiatry and the Psychogeriatric Fellowship Training Program at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York. He is also Supervising Psychiatrist of the Geriatric Unit at Bronx Psychiatric Center. More than 30 psychiatrists have completed geriatric training under his direction. Dr. Kennedy’s research and teaching have focused on cardiac arrhythmias, the epidemiology of depression and dementia, and mental health care in nursing homes and in the community.