Obsessive-compulsive disorder in the elderly

Article type: Other

Authors: Philpot, Michael P. | Banerjee, Sube

Affiliations: Sections of Old Age Psychiatry, Epidemiology and General Practice, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK

Note: [] Corresponding author Dr. Michael Philpot, Old Age Psychiatry Directorate, Maudsley Hospital, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AZ, UK. Tel.: +44 171 919 2193; Fax: +44 171 919 2171.

Abstract: Four cases of obsessive-compulsive disorder arising in late life in association with a presumed organic aetiology are described. Three of the four had brief episodes of OCD earlier in their lives. Neuropsychological assessment demonstrated impairments in verbal fluency and visuo-spatial tasks. No case exhibited global intellectual impairment. The two patients who complied with appropriate treatment became asymptomatic after 4-6 months.

Keywords: Obsessive-compulsive aged organic depression

Journal: Behavioural Neurology, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 117-121, 1998