Psychiatric Disorders in Older Adults: Epidemiology and Emerging Treatments

Rajesh Tampi, MD, shared a clinically focused overview of psychiatric disorders and emerging treatments in older adults ahead of his presentations at APA 2026.

Tampi opened with key epidemiological figures, noting that approximately 20% of the older adult population carries a diagnosable mental illness and roughly 3.9% has a serious and persistent mental illness such as schizophrenia.¹ He emphasized that while cognitive disorders are disproportionately prevalent in older adults, they are not the most common psychiatric conditions in this population—personality disorders, anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, and depressive disorders each represent significant diagnostic categories warranting clinical attention.

On treatment, Tampi distinguished between nonpharmacological and pharmacological approaches, noting that both modalities have expanded considerably, including through interventional psychiatry techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation and electroconvulsive therapy. He addressed cognitive disorders separately, citing Alzheimer disease as responsible for 50 to 70% of neurodegenerative cognitive impairment in older adults, and highlighted the recent approvals of lecanemab and donanemab as biological treatments for Alzheimer disease dementia.² He also noted the recent US Food and Drug Administration approval of dextromethorphan-bupropion (Auvelity) as the second agent approved for agitation in Alzheimer disease, following brexpiprazole.

Tampi closed with a clinical practice imperative, urging colleagues to conduct thorough diagnostic workups—including history, mental status examination, rating scales, physical examination, laboratory evaluation, and collateral information gathering—before initiating psychotropic treatment in older adults. He emphasized that caring for this population requires interdisciplinary collaboration, stating that "it truly does take a village to take care of older adults with mental health disorders."

Dr Tampi is professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Creighton University School of Medicine and Catholic Health Initiatives Health Behavioral Health Services. He is also an adjunct professor of psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, and a member of the Psychiatric Times editorial board.

References

1. Mental health of older adults. World Health Organization. October 8, 2025. Accessed May 13, 2026. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-of-older-adults

2. Dementia. World Health Organization. March 31, 2025. Accessed May 13, 2026. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia