GPs ‘should question hedonistic over-50s on drug and drink use’
‘Problem hidden from view’
PATIENTS over 50 should be quizzed by GPs about their ‘hedonistic’ drinking and drug- taking habits, medical experts have said.
A report released today calls on family doctors to combat rising substance abuse among baby boomers.
Many over-50s have very liberal attitudes towards drugs and alcohol after growing up in the Sixties and Seventies, while others are ‘self-medicating’ for loneliness, insomnia or chronic pain.
Doctors are also being urged to tell older patients they may still need to cut back on alcohol even if they drink less than the recommended maximum of 14 units per week.
The proposals have been drawn up by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, which warns that substance abuse is no longer just a problem for the young.
NHS figures show that over-65s now account for 30 per cent of all alcohol-related hospital admissions, more than doubling from 14 per cent in 2010.
The number of deaths caused by drug or alcohol poisoning among the 50 to 69 age group has also soared, rising to 39.4 per million in 2016 from 16.5 in 2006.
The Royal College’s report warns that many older patients are becoming addicted to prescription drugs including painkillers, antidepressants and sleeping pills.
Some are being given repeat prescriptions by their GP for medications which are only meant to be taken for a few months, while others obtain them illegally online or through friends.
Co-author Dr Tony Rao, consultant psychiatrist at the Maudsley Hospital in south London, said: ‘We now have a population of baby boomers who have the fastest rise of recent and lifetime substance misuse.
‘The problem here is you’re talking about a specific generation who have had a very hedonistic influence in their early lives. They will carry that on into their later years, whether it’s cannabis or alcohol.’ He warned that the trend was likely to continue for ‘the next two decades at least’, adding: ‘This is still the tip of the iceberg with regard to detection.’
Dr Rao’s report urges GPs to screen older patients during routine appointments and ask how much they drink and take drugs, and says doctors should be alert to signs of addiction such as slurred speech and abnormal liver test results.
It also warns that alcohol and drug misuse can lead to a range of illnesses including liver disease and stroke.
Older adults are likely to be more sensitive to alcohol, particularly if they have longterm health problems or take several medications, it says.
The report also warns that misuse of drugs including cannabis and amphetamines are becoming a ‘growing public health problem’. Dr Rao’s co-author Professor Ilana Crome said: ‘Substance misuse is no longer confined to younger people.
‘By improving our approach to substance misuse in older people, from detection to continuity of care, we can also improve both quality of life and reduce mortality in a vulnerable group that deserves better.’
Caroline Abrahams of Age UK added: ‘ Excessive drinking in later life is a growing and serious problem and can be linked to other issues such as bereavement, loneliness and isolation.’
Professor Helen StokesLampard, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said doctors ‘will ask our patients questions about their alcohol intake, smoking and any drug use so that we can determine the most appropriate and effective treatment for them’.