Handbook of Mental Health and Aging

James E. Birren is currently Associate Director of the Center on Aging at the University of California, Los Angeles, and serves as an adjunct professor in medicine, psychiatry, and biobehavioral sciences. He is also professor emeritus of gerontology and psychology at the University of Southern California. Dr. Birren's previous postions include service as Chief of the section on aging of the National Institute of Mental Health, founding Executive Director and Dean of the Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center of USC, founding Director of the Anna and Harry Borun Center for Gerontological Research at UCLA, and President of the Gerontological Society of America, the Western Gerontological Society, and the Division on Adult Development and Aging of the American Psychological Association. Dr. Birren's many awards include the Brookdale Foundation Award for Gerontological Research, the Sandoz prize for Gerontological Research, and the award for outstanding contribution to gerontology by the Canadian Association of Gerontology. Author of over 250 scholarly publications, Dr. Birren has research interests including how speed of behavior changes with age, the causes and consequences of slowed information processing in the older nervous system, the effect of age on decision-making processes, and the role of expertise in skilled occupations. He has served as a delegate to several White House Conferences on Aging and continues to have a strong interest in developing national priorities for research and education related to issues of aging.

Background: B.D. Lebowitz and G. Niederehe, Concepts and Issues in Mental Health and Aging. J.C. Anthony and A. Aboraya, Epidemiology of Selected Mental Disorders in Later Life. D. Gutmann, Culture and Mental Health in Later Life. E.P. Stanford and B.C. Du Bois, Gender and Ethnicity Patterns. M.A. Lieberman and H. Peskin, Adult Life Crises. Neurosciences and Aging: A.B. Scheibel, Structural Changes in the Aging Brain. D.G. Morgan, Neurochemical Changes with Aging Predisposition towards Age-Related Mental Disorders. C.L. Grady and S.I. Rapoport, Cerebral Metabolism in Aging and Dementia. B. Gurland and S. Katz, The Outcomes of Psychiatric Disorder in the Elderly: Relevance to Quality of Life. Behavioral Sciences and Aging: F. Schieber, Aging and The Senses. J.A. Sugar and J. M. McDowd, Memory, Learning and Attention. W.R. Cunningham and K.L. Haman, Intellectual Functioning in Relation to Mental Health. H. Thomae, Emotion and Personality. Psychopathology of Later Life: H.G. Koenig and D.G. Blazer, Mood Disorders and Suicide. J.I. Sheikh, Anxiety and Its Disorders in Old Age. J. Sadavoy and B. Fogel, Personality Disorders in Old Age. P.V. Rabins, Schizophrenia and Psychotic States. M.A. Raskind and E.R. Peskind, Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementing Disorders. R.M. Atkinson, L. Ganzini, and M.J. Bernstein, Alcohol and Substance-Use Disorders in the Elderly. C.C. Hoch, D.J. Buysse, T.H. Monk, and C.F. Reynolds, Sleep Disorders and Aging. M.M. Seltzer, Aging in Persons with Developmental Disabilities. Assessment, Treatment, and Prevention: E.D. Caine and H.T. Grossman, Neuropsychiatric Assessment. A. La Rue, J. Yang, and S. Osato, Neuropsychological Assessment. B.J. Kemp and J. Mitchell, Functional Assessment in Geriatric Mental Health. N.A. Newton and L.W. Lazarus, Behavioral and Psychotherapeutic Interventions. C. Salzman and J. Nevis-Olesen, Psychopharmacologic Treatment. V. Regnier and J. Pynoos, Environmental Interventions for Cognitively Impaired Older Adults. L.K. George, Community and Home Care for Mentally Ill Older Adults. M.H. Wykle, M.E. Segall, and S. Nagley, Mental Health and Aging: Hospital Care--A Nursing Perspective. B. Liptzin, Nursing Home Care. S. Eth and G.B. Leong, Forensic and Ethical Issues. G. Gottlieb, Economic Issues and Geriatric Mental Health Care. The Future: G.D. Cohen, The Future of Mental Health and Aging. Index.