Prevalence of mental disorders in the elderly in Singapore--a preliminary report.

Abstract

A random sample of 1,000 subjects aged 65 or more were selected from the electoral register of 3 constituencies in Singapore. Only 612 subjects could be interviewed at a day centre or at home. The prevalence of dementia in the sample was 1.8% and functional psychiatric disorders 4.3%. In the functional psychiatric disorders, the commonest condition was depression. A review of the literature shows that the prevalence rates of dementia and functional psychiatric disorders in Singapore are low compared to other countries.