Schizophrenia in Older adults / Seniors

Key things to know What the evidence shows
How common is it? 0.55% 1-year in one Dutch older-adult catchment study
Is it more common among older adults / seniors? Existing schizophrenia persists; late- and very-late-onset psychosis also occur, disproportionately in women
Are older adults / seniors at higher risk? Late onset clinically important
How much higher is the risk? Dutch study: 0.14% late-onset + 0.05% very-late-onset schizophrenia-like psychosis
How often can it be missed? Very high
Does it show up differently among older adults / seniors? Strong Yes
How might it look different? Paranoia, hallucinations and functional change must be distinguished from neurological/cognitive disease
What commonly occurs alongside it? Cognitive disorders; depression; cardiovascular/metabolic disease
What can it be confused with? Dementia; delirium; medication-induced psychosis; neurological disease; delusional disorder
Common screening tool PQ-16 self-assessment → clinical evaluation
Separate screening tool for older adults / seniors None
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