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Geriatric Psychiatry

Geriatric psychiatry emphasizes the biological and psychological aspects of normal aging, the psychiatric effect of acute and chronic physical illness, and the biological and psychosocial aspects of the pathology of primary psychiatric disturbances of older age. Geriatric psychiatrists focus on prevention, evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of mental and emotional disorders in the elderly and improvement of psychiatric care for healthy and ill elderly patients.


Education Resources

APA's Telepsychiatry Toolkit: Geriatric Telepsychiatry

Telepsychiatry's evidence base for geriatric telepsychiatry is substantial and outcomes have been positive in terms of satisfaction, validity/reliability, and preliminary clinical outcomes relative to in-person care.

FOCUS: The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry

A system for recertification, performance in practice, self-assessment and lifelong learning in psychiatry. Contents related to Geriatric Psychiatry.

APA Learning Center


Practice Guidelines, Policies and Resource Documents

Position Statements

Visit the APA Policy Finder to search for official APA Position Statements related to Geriatric Psychiatry.

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Resource Documents

Practice Guidelines from APA Publishing


For Residents and Medical Students

Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship Programs

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) website lists geriatric psychiatry training programs. Select "List of Programs by Specialty" and in the pull-down menu, select Psychiatry, Geriatric Psychiatry, and "view programs" for the full list.

ABPN Certification in Geriatric Psychiatry

The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Inc. (ABPN) is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to serving the public interest and the professions of psychiatry and neurology by promoting excellence in practice through certification and maintenance of certification processes.

The AAGP's Geriatric Mental Health Foundation's Scholars Fund

Developed to expose medical students and young physicians to the rewarding field of geriatric psychiatry in an effort to increase the number of medical professionals expertly trained to care for the growing older population.

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