Psychiatric study of 69-year-old health examinees in Stockholm. Factors of possible importance for the mental health of the elderly.

In a follow-up health control of 69-year-old persons in Stockholm, 589 were examined psychiatrically. Of these, 462 persons had responded affirmatively to symptoms indicating a depressive syndrome. Neurotic disorders were judged to be present in 258 persons, sleeping disturbances in 81, other types of psychiatric disorders in 10 whereas 113 persons were judged to be without psychiatric symptoms. In addition, 127 persons constituting a control group were examined. Of these 89 were judged to be without psychiatric symptoms while 38 had some form of psychiatric disturbance. The 258 persons in the group 'neurotic disorders' and the 81 in the group 'sleeping disturbances' were compared with the 89 persons in the control group judged to be without psychiatric symptoms. The comparisons included a number of variables of medical and social interest. Significantly more persons in the groups with neurotic disorders orders and sleeping disturbances than in the group without psychiatric symptoms reported impaired mobility and high blood pressure, worried about their health, took pain-killing pills daily and had financial worries. Median income was lower for the group with financial worries than for the groups without. Women in the group 'early onset neurosis' claimed significantly more often than women in the group without psychiatric symptoms that a member of their immediate family had suffered from mental disorder. The group 'late onset neurosis' did not differ in this respect from the group without psychiatric symptoms. Bereavement was significantly more often claimed by women in the group 'late onset neurosis' versus women in the group 'early onset neurosis'. Information on social group and level of education indicated that it was the better situated and better educated who took part in the health check-up.