Mental Disorders of Aging: An Emerging Public Health Crisis?

Focuses on the emergence of public health crisis in the U.S. in connection with the projected increase in the number of older adults with mental disorders. Disorders which are commonly associated with older adults; Sources of mental health services for older adults; Factors that contribute to high levels of psychopathology; Impact of the economic costs of mental disorders on direct and indirect costs for healthcare; Recommendations for the expected crisis in geriatric mental health.

Social Cognition and Neural Substrates of Face Perception: Implications for Neurodevelopmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders

BACKGROUND: Social cognition is an important aspect of social behavior in humans. Social cognitive deficits are associated with neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. In this study we examine the neural substrates of social cognition and face processing in a group of healthy young adults to examine the neural substrates of social cognition. METHODS: Fifty-seven undergraduates completed a battery of social cognition tasks and were assessed with electroencephalography (EEG) during a face-perception task. A subset (N=22) were administered a face-perception task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: Variance in the N170 EEG was predicted by social attribution performance and by a quantitative measure of empathy. Neurally, face processing was more bilateral in females than in males. Variance in fMRI voxel count in the face-sensitive fusiform gyrus was predicted by quantitative measures of social behavior, including the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and the Empathizing Quotient. CONCLUSIONS: When measured as a quantitative trait, social behaviors in typical and pathological populations share common neural pathways. The results highlight the importance of viewing neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders as spectrum phenomena that may be informed by studies of the normal distribution of relevant traits in the general population. Copyright 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Provision and Use of Mental Health Services in Nursing Homes: Results from the National Medical Expenditure Survey

Data from the Institutional Population Component of the National Medical Expenditure Survey were used to provide national estimates of annual mental health service provision and use in nursing homes. In addition, the relationship between service provision and setting characteristics such as ownership, size, Medicaid certification, and chain status was examined. Although more than three quarters of residents with a mental disorder resided at a nursing home that provided counseling services, fewer than one fifth actually received any mental health services within the year.