To describe and then compare the admissions of elderly in the last decade, to see if there have been significant changes regarding both the diagnosis and the number of admissions.

Medical records of patients over 70 years admitted in an acute psychiatric unit in the course of 1997 and 2007 have been reviewed. the number of admissions in elderly patients is compared to the number of admissions in any age. Diagnosis in the elderly between 1997 and 2007 is also compared.

In the last decade the percentage of patients over 70 who enter our unit has increased. with regard to their diagnoses, depressive disorders and the "others" category have decreased, increasing, however, the bipolar disorder, dementia and other psychoses.

Since the population pyramid tends towards older ages, it seems logical that the number of admissions in elderly patients increase, as it has been shown in our research.

The fall in the diagnosis of “others” and the rise of diagnosis such as Dementia, Bipolar disorders and other psychosis might be due to a better diagnosis of these pathologies.