“How common are anxiety disorders in elderly patients?”
My grandmother seems to be getting more and more anxious as she ages. And now that the doctor has diagnosed with dementia, her anxiety is just getting worse. How common are anxiety disorders in elderly patients?
3 Answers
Quite common
Anxiety disorders are quite common across the lifespan: children, adults, and the elderly: approximately 20% of the adult population has anxiety disorder symptoms at any one time. Lifetime prevalence is estimated to be higher, at about 30%, i.e. 1 in 3 adults will at some point develop an anxiety disorder. In addition, anxiety is a core symptom of dementia. Patients with dementia may present with anxiety as their main complaint, before anyone is aware they are showing signs of dementia. Unfortunately, anxiety in dementia can be challenging to treat. However, there are medications that can be helpful. I recommend having her evaluated by a psychiatrist.
Anxiety in persons that have dementia is common. Please see a neurologist or geriatric psychiatrist for help.
