September 1, 1999
Media contact: Leslie Franz, 619-543-6163
FROM THE '60S TO THE 60S: SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND THE AGING BABY BOOMER
As the free-spirited "baby boomer" generation ages, the problem of substance abuse in the elderly is also likely to grow, according to a paper by University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System researchers.
With the older population reaching record numbers by the year 2011 as the first wave of post-war babies born between 1946 and 1964 reaches age 65, it is likely that there will also be an increase in the abuse of prescription, over-the-counter and illicit drugs, as well as an increase in alcohol abuse in this age group, according to Thomas Patterson, Ph.D. professor-in-residence of psychiatry at UCSD School of Medicine and research psychologist with the VA San Diego Healthcare System, and Dilip Jeste, M.D., professor-in-residence of psychiatry at UCSD School of Medicine and the VA San Diego Healthcare System.
Their review of published data appears in the September issue of Psychiatric Services, a journal of the American Psychiatric Association.
"Baby-boomers historically have used more drugs than their predecessors. While data measuring illicit drug use among younger baby boomers compiled in past decades show a steady drop in use up to age 30, it then levels out and there continues to be excess drug use in this population," said Patterson. "This suggests that in sheer numbers, we can expect to see more people over age 65 with abuse problems in the coming decades, with the resulting impact on treatment programs and other resources, which are not geared to address the special needs of this age group.
"In addition, we are not fully prepared to detect and monitor these problems in this population," he said. "The standard criteria used to diagnose drinking and substance abuse are not appropriate for the elderly, since most of them rely heavily on assessing whether there are problems at work, problems at school, and other issues that are generally not relevant to an older population. And as metabolism changes with age, drug and alcohol tolerance is altered, so that decreased consumption does not necessarily mean a decrease in the effects on the individual."
Patterson and Jeste also warn that use of prescription and over-the-counter medication drugs can lead to serious problems and abuse, with data showing that elderly persons use prescription drugs three times more frequently than the general population, and are prescribed medications for longer periods of time.
The researchers recommend that steps be taken to develop more appropriate diagnostic criteria for substance abuse in an elderly population; that greater focus be placed on proper adherence to recommended use of prescription medications; that greater awareness of and sensitivity toward people over 65 with substance abuse problems be achieved through education, and that treatment options be improved through the development of programs specifically designed to address drug, medication and alcohol abuse in this age group.
This work was supported in part by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health and by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
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