Dr. Robert Butler is one of the nation's leading experts on the aging process; he has been director of the National Institute on Aging and has worked with national commissions and task forces on mental health and aging. Myrna Lewis, M.S.W., is a nationally known leader in social work and Trey Sunderland an M.D. in geriatric psychopharmacology.

This book is extremely well-respected in social work, geriatric medicine, nursing, and related disciplines for its comprehensive coverage of the aging process and its effects on mental health. This book sets out the nature and problems of old age, including the position of older people in their families, and then explores some common emotional problems and psychiatric disorders that can affect the elderly. Specific chapter coverage focuses on race, ethnicity, gender, crime, alcoholism, and physical disabilities including deafness and blindness, as well as Alzheimer's Disease and related disorders. New material includes the most-recent demographic and statistical data, including updated Census Bureau information. Medical workers and social workers.