As our country become rapidly changing into technological and industrialized society, the mental health of each individual as well as the society in general become a big challenge. Especially the elderly person´s mental health become not only their own problem but one of sooial problem for these days supposed due to the fact that the changing pattern of our traditional large family system as well as of general value system. These family system change inevitably brings role confusions of the elderly person not only within their family but also within the commnnity which they belong.
This study is to provide some fundamental information for the neuropsychiatric problems developing among the elderly persons for these 10 years.
Total of 342 neuropsychiatric patients over the age of 60 who visited the Neuropsychiatric Department of Korea University Hospital for the past 10 years from 1966 to 1975 have been studied.
The results were as follows;
1. Annual number of the elderly patients tend to increase year after year as far as the hospital incidence concerns.
2. In the age distribution of eldery patients, 53.2% of the cases were aged between 60 and 64, and 31.3% of the cases were aged between 65 and 69, and mean age was 65.3.
The ratio of male patient and female patient was 1.0: 1.3.
3. As to their birth order, 47.2% of the patients was middle born and 26.9% was the first: born.
4. Their educational level revealed that, 36.5% of the patients were illiteracy and 17.8% of the patients were primary school graduates.
5. As to the occupational distribution, the jobless occupied the highest percentage of 44.4%
6. As to their religious affiliation the most popular one was 41.9% of Buddihism of female: elderly patients.
7. The pattern of initial visit to our department revealed that 59.6% of the elderly patients visited alone not accompanied by any family me bPM, 16-.6% of male ::patients .was accompanied by spouses, 12.6% of female patients: accompanied by one of their real daughters, 11.3% of male patients accompanied by one of their sons and 8.6% of male patients by one of their real daughters.
8. As to their age of initial marriage, 57.6% of the cases were married between 16 and 20.
9. As to the marital status, 53.6% of the cases were living with their spouses, and the ratio-of remarried male patient and female patient was 5 I.
10. As to the living arrangement, 26.0% of the elderly patients were living in the samehousehold with one of their sons but not of eldest one and 18.4% of the cases were living in the with eldest sons. And 24.0% of the cases were living with their young sons and daughters, still took caring their children.
11. As to the anxiety source in the family, 54.5%.
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