Which pairing is least likely to be among the major mental health problems of the elderly?

• A. Manic Depression And Bipolar Disorders
• B. Schizophrenia And Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• C. Bipolar Disorder And Depression
• D. Depression And Dementia

Answer: (A)

In older adults, the most common mental health concerns are mood symptoms like depression and cognitive decline such as dementia. Manic episodes and bipolar disorder tend to arise earlier in adulthood, and mania is relatively uncommon in late life. Because of that, a pairing that centers on manic depression or bipolar disorder is least likely to be a major mental health problem in the elderly. Depression paired with dementia, for example, is a typical combination seen in late life, and while schizophrenia or OCD can occur in older adults, they don’t align as closely with the most prevalent late-life patterns as mood disorders and cognitive decline do.