Welcome to the EPA 2022 Interactive Programme 

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Aging persons can become involved in the criminal justice system, more commonly as victims but also as offenders. They are a growing group of interest in forensic psychiatry, due to the ageing of the population. Moreover, they are overrepresented in long-stay facilities. Forensic psychiatrists may be asked to evaluate elderly individuals whose behaviour has become problematic to their families, caregivers, or third parties. We will focus here on problematic behaviors in eldery people, particularly disinhibition, agitation and aggression, and criminal behaviour and the incarcerated eldery. Forensic psychiatric assessment with new-onset criminal behaviour require special inquiries regarding criminal responsibility or competency to stand trial. Little research is available regarding criminal behaviour in eldery persons in correctional settings.

In this paper a forensic-psychiatric expert report will illustrate these topics.

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Old age population is growing steadily during last decades (WHO 2017). Old population suffer from more morbidity including mental disorders (De Lorito,2018). This fact also applies for prison population (Yortons 2006) and in the lasts years has been an increasing interest for this topicThe aging of the world population is reflected in the penitentiary setting, with a progressive increase of elderly inmates. These prisoners present complex clinical processes with multiple comorbidities, requiring a specialized approach. In the 2020, the old age population in prison (considered over 60 years old) is around 5% in Catalonia (377 inmates,), same proportion (5%) in Spain.If we consider the cut-off point 50 y.o. (as other research) the proportion is 12%

Our aims are to describe sociodemographical and clinical characteristics of old age inmates (over 50 y. o.) who required to be admitted to psychiatric unit in Catalan prisons between 2016 and 2020. The asample of this study will be around 150 inmates admitted in our unit.

Elderly inmates present a high prevalence of substance abuse (especially alcohol), affective symptoms (depression) and cognitive deterioration. Likewise, is observed a significant presence of personality disorders, anxiety, post-traumatic disorders, psychotic disorders, and physical comorbidities.

Prisoners over 50 have a different profile from the rest of the prison population. They suffer more physical and mental illnesses, so they require specific health and social approach. It would be advisable to adapt clinical care by optimizing resources, developing prison psychogeriatrics and establishing specific evaluation and treatment method

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Homicide and suicide are complex phenomena raising questions and interest which go far beyond the medical and psychiatric field, as they represent a challenge for an understanding which is, first of all, human. In older adults, homicide and suicide may present together in the homicide-suicide phenomenon. The most common motive underlying this behavior in intimate partner relationships is the so-called “mercy killing”, where the perpetrator kills the partner to eventually allow relief from declining health conditions, and then commits suicide. Actually, older adults account for a disproportionately high number of suicide deaths and approximately 55% of late-life suicides are associated with physical illness, notwithstanding psychiatric comorbidity. Physical illness is more likely to eventually lead to suicidal behaviour when it represents a threaten for the individual’s independence, autonomy, self-esteem and dignity, and when it impacts on quality of and pleasure with life, sense of meaning, usefulness and purpose in life. As the current historical period is one marked by opportunities which have allowed a rapid increase of life expectancy and longevity, it clearly emerges the need to balance benefits and harms of curative and palliative therapies, especially for painful, terminal illnesses. The expression of suicidal thoughts in older adults, as well as behaviours suggesting “silent” or indirect suicidal attitudes, should be carefully investigated and clinicians should try to decode the possible communicative role of suicidal behaviour while avoiding premature conclusions about the “rationality” of patients’ decision to die.