In the last 50 years there has been both extraordinary and extraordinarily little progress in geriatric psychiatry, depending on the perspective from which the topic is viewed. In developed countries there has been a slow recognition of the emergence of the particular issues raised by aging populations. This has accelerated in the last few years, with the acknowledgment of the importance of the topic area in funding initiatives such as the European Union Framework V. In tandem with such developments has come the realization that aging populations, and their challenges, are not limited to the developed world, but also to developing countries that are experiencing demographic transition at much greater speed. Among the key areas of the impact of aging populations is health, and particularly mental health.