From the Editor

DEAR COLLEAGUES,

I am delighted to introduce to you the first Consortium Psychiatricum issue of 2022. We open this year with the thematic issue on old-age psychiatry, which was prepared in collaboration with Dr. Debanjan Banerjee, a specialist in geriatric psychiatry from India, as a guest editor. In this issue, our aim was to highlight topics that have been somewhat overshadowed in the traditional professional discussions in the field of geriatric psychiatry — the human rights of older adults, policy in providing medical care for a diverse old-age population, and sexual health in later life.

Thus, we focused mostly on the humanistic aspects of old-age psychiatry. We do hope that the positions, statements, and voices of both professionals and professional associations, like the World Psychiatric Association, International Psychogeriatric Association, and SAARC Psychiatric Federation that we publish in this issue, will be heard by mental health specialists, policymakers, and other stakeholders, and will add to improvements in the mental health of older people worldwide. Present-day challenges were reflected in the research paper devoted to the changes in the brain tissue of older people with histories of COVID-19 and a review on loneliness among the elderly, while opportunities are presented in the reviews about technology-based neurocognitive assessment in the elderly and novel therapeutic options in the treatment of Alzheimer disease.

Experiences of sexuality and sexual health in older persons have been explored by Dr. Debanjan Banerjee in his research. We continue our traditional rubric on community psychiatry around the world and publish papers on the organization of community mental care in the Kyrgyz Republic and Azerbaijan. I would like to thank Professor Afzal Javed and Professor Svetlana Gavrilova for writing editorial papers for this issue. I would also like to express special gratitude to Dr. Debanjan Banerjee, whose enthusiasm, creativity, and professional devotion helped this issue to happen. I wish you pleasant reading.

George Kostyuk,

Editor-in-Chief, Consortium Psychiatricum

DEAR ALL, Greetings from India!

It is my pleasure to present to you this special issue of the Consortium Psychiatricum, themed on Old Age Psychiatry. This issue reflects months of work by both the authors and editorial team, which has resulted in a rich academic collection. The world is facing rapid population aging. Older persons face unique biopsychosocial challenges in terms of their mental health and wellbeing, which have further surfaced during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. A significant mental health burden exists amongst older adults that is, unfortunately, compounded by the social problems of ageism, marginalization, stigma, loneliness, and elder abuse. Hence, research needs to be tailored to the needs of this vulnerable part of the population that can lead to evidencebased mental health and policy interventions.

This issue comprises research works from leading experts in geriatric psychiatry from across the world, with special notes from Dr. Afzal Javed (President, World Psychiatric Association) and Dr. Carlos Augusto Mendonca de Lima (Chair, WPA — Section of Old Age Psychiatry). The content is multi-dimensional in nature, covering loneliness, rights of older persons, policy changes and risk-reduction strategies, the special needs of sexual minorities, psychosexual health, technology-based assessments in old age mental health, neurocognitive disorders, and the neurobiological effects of COVID-19. Another highlight of this issue is a special SAARC meeting report of International Psychogeriatric Association (IPA) Old Age Mental Health Awareness Week 2021. I hope this thematic issue will serve as a sound reference framework for mental health professionals, physicians, social workers, and policymakers alike working in the field of geriatric mental health. We welcome feedback from readers to improve on our work and look forward to further issues in this relevant yet somewhat neglected field.

Dr. Debanjan Banerjee, Guest Editor