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Attitudes of psychiatrists toward elderly patients

Published Online:https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.137.5.571

A group of 179 psychiatrists responded to a questionnaire requesting their opinions concerning four clinical vignettes. Analysis of their responses indicated that these psychiatrists, at a highly statistically significant level, regarded older patients as less ideal for their practices than younger patients with identical symptoms. The respondents viewed the older patients as having a poorer prognosis, and their treatment plans for them were less likely to emphasize psychotherapy. In general, there was a negative correlation between the age of the respondent psychiatrists and their estimate of the "idealness" of and favorable prognosis for older patients.

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