Physical Comorbidity in Elderly Veterans Affairs Patients With Schizophrenia and Depression

The authors studied physical comorbidity and the number of medications prescribed in all psychiatric outpatients over age 60 seen at Loma Linda VA Medical Center over a 1-year period. Psychiatric diagnoses were based on DSM-III-R. The authors used a chart review and computerized profiles of data on 90 patients (86% male) with a mean age of 67. Patients with schizophrenia had the fewest physical illnesses; patients with depression had the most; and patients with bipolar and anxiety disorders were intermediate. The number of nonpsychotropic medications followed the same trend. Frequency of cancer and mean duration of hypertension and cardiac illness were greater inpatients with depression than in those with schizophrenia.