Valle Inclán Nursing Home is a multifunctional centre of Gerontology, that offers social and health services to elderly people, either with physical independence or with physical and psychic disabilities. Mental illness is studied from a multidisciplinary point of view, and these different therapeutic programs are implemented: psychological support for adjustment disorders, cognitive-behavioural therapy for mood disorders and overall medical examination of dementia. The total sample of patients that are studied is 445, chronologically distributed according the next data: N: 234 (2006), N: 264 (2007), N: 258 (2008) y N: 243 (2009).

To know the prevalence of the main psychiatric pathologies and to compare to data found in scientific literature.

To find data that can be used in order to improve the quality of medical care and psychosocial attention.

The prevalence of different psychiatric conditions treated by this mental health department, and the variation of these data for the last four years are showed. These data are compared with those in scientific literature.

Mental illness prevalence distribution is similar to the prevalence that is found in scientific literature. Dementia is the most prevalent pathology, and mood disorders are in the second place.

The decrease in the prevalence of mood disorders is probably on account of the implementation of specific psychotherapeutic programs. An increase in the prevalence of dementia can be explained by the improvement of screening of this illness and/or the increasing social request for admission to these nursing homes.