Study design of the Routine Outcome Monitoring for Geriatric Psychiatry Science (ROM-GPS) project; a cohort study of older patients with affective disorders referred for specialised geriatric mental health care

摘要

BackgroundAffective disorders, encompassing depressive-, anxiety-, and somatic symptom disorders, are the most prevalent mental disorders in later life. Treatment protocols and guidelines largely rely on evidence from RCTs conducted in younger age samples and ignore comorbidity between these disorders. Moreover, studies in geriatric psychiatry are often limited to the “younger old” and rarely include the most frail. Therefore, the effectiveness of treatment in routine clinical care for older patients and impact of ageing characteristics is largely unknown.