THE DISTRIBUTION OF DEMENTIA, DEPRESSION AND NEUROSIS IN ELDERLY MEN AND WOMEN IN AN URBAN COMMUNITY: ASSESSED USING THE GMS--AGECAT PACKAGE.

A computerized diagnosis, AGECAT, is applied to data from random community samples of elderly people in New York and London in order to examine the distribution of mental illness between males and females. The greater proportion of dementia in females is confirmed for all AGECAT's levels of diagnostic confidence, and for depression at all levels except one. Age- and sex- specific prevalence rates are quoted for each half decade between 65 and 90 years. Differences between the sexes on syndrome case and subcase levels of neurotic disorder do not reach statistical significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]