ABSTRACT
Epidemiological studies indicate that, in the general population, 70% to 90% of adults over 65 have been exposed to at least one potentially traumatic event. Furthermore, trauma- and stressor-related disorders in older adults are more complicated than in younger adults and pose some unique challenges for clinicians. Age-related changes may also lead to a diversification of symptoms that are spread over a broad range of areas of functioning. Coping as best they can with unfortunate events in their lives, they endure persistent bouts of anxiety or depression without receiving professional help, whether because of limited awareness of its availability or limited resources for seeking it out. The Rorschach has thus done a good job of indicating generally normal functioning in an elderly non-patient with no history of the psychological disorder, while at the same time identifying underlying troubling concerns and feelings.
