Mental health problems are one of the leading causes ofdisability in the world, particularly in the geriatric population1. In a systematic review, Aricca et al. highlighted that untreated mental illness among older adults has a significant impact on health, functioning, and health service use and costs 2.Evidence suggests that mental illness in older adults is often missed and under-treated both in primary care 3-5 and in specialist settings 6. The National Service Framework for older people in England points out that under-detection of mental illness in older people is widespread due to the nature of the symptoms and the fact that many older people live alone 7.
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