Both presented unusual diagnostic difficulties, however, and no evidence emerged that large numbers of elderly people will be misclassified in community surveys that include a mental state examination, cognitive testing, and an informant interview. Alcohol use and use disorders in older people tend to be hidden and ignored by clinicians and scholars. Resulting misinformation about elderly alcohol problems can be found in such fundamental works as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, third edition, revised. Yet, an extensive literature about the nature of geriatric alcohol problems has developed recently. This article reviews that literature, comments on current research at several North American centers, and offers some new information from the author's study of more than 300 older male alcoholics.
Many findings remain to be replicated and further verified.
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