Much psychosis in elderly may go unnoticed

If you get to be 85 or older, you automatically become a member of the population group known as “the very old.” New data reveal that psychotic symptoms among these seniors have been greatly underestimated, a finding with potential public health consequences.

Several population studies of elderly people with healthy brains have indicated that fewer than 3 percent of them suffer from psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions.