Late-Life Psychiatric
Conditions
Complex comorbidities, cognitive considerations, and polypharmacy — psychiatric care for adults 65+ requires specialist expertise. Dr. Farkas's pharmaceutical research background makes her uniquely equipped for this population.
What is Geriatric?
Complex comorbidities, cognitive considerations, and polypharmacy — psychiatric care for adults 65+ requires specialist expertise. Dr. Farkas's pharmaceutical research background makes her uniquely equipped for this population.
Dr. Farkas brings a rare combination of MD/PhD neuroscience training, NIH research center experience, and clinical expertise to the evaluation and treatment of geriatric psychiatry. Her 30–60 minute new patient evaluations are designed to understand your full picture — medical history, prior treatments, contributing factors — before any treatment begins.
Effective treatment requires accurate diagnosis. Dr. Farkas's rigorous diagnostic approach ensures the right condition is identified and treated — not just the most common one that looks similar.
Common presentations
This page is educational and is not a diagnostic tool.
How Dr. Farkas treats Geriatric Psychiatry
Evidence-based, neurobiologically-informed care. The treatment plan is built around your specific situation — not a protocol template.
What to expect from your first appointment
A new patient evaluation with Dr. Farkas is 30–60 minutes — not a rushed intake. It covers your full psychiatric and medical history, prior diagnoses, all medications tried, and what has or hasn't worked. You'll leave with a clear diagnosis, a treatment plan you understand and agree with, and a follow-up already scheduled.
Telehealth is available throughout South Carolina and New York. In-person appointments are available at our Hilton Head Island, SC office.
Related Conditions
Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline). Text HOME to 741741 for the Crisis Text Line. Call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room if you are in immediate danger.
Medical disclaimer: This page is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice. No doctor–patient relationship is established through website use. Individual results vary; no specific outcome is guaranteed. Telehealth visits are conducted on a HIPAA-compliant platform. Gabriella I. Farkas, MD PhD, is a board-certified psychiatrist licensed in South Carolina and New York.
Ready for a real evaluation
of Geriatric?
30–60 minutes. Expert diagnosis. A treatment plan built around your specific situation.
Geriatric psychiatry addresses conditions that emerge or evolve in older adulthood — late-onset depression, cognitive decline, medication complications, grief, and behavioral symptoms of dementia. Prescribing accounts for altered pharmacokinetics, anticholinergic burden, fall risk, and drug interactions. Dr. Farkas's approach emphasizes deprescribing where appropriate.
Key Takeaways
- Geriatric psychiatry covers late-onset depression, cognitive decline, medication problems, grief, and behavioral symptoms of dementia.
- Aging changes how the body handles medication, so lower doses often work and side effects are stronger.
- Late-life depression often shows up as physical complaints, apathy, or thinking problems rather than sadness.
- A full medication review, including supplements and over-the-counter drugs, supports deprescribing where appropriate.
↑ Full list of psychiatric conditions treated
Frequently Asked Questions
How does aging change psychiatric medication response?
Older adults have reduced liver and kidney clearance, altered body composition, and greater CNS sensitivity — meaning lower doses often achieve therapeutic effect and side effects are more pronounced. Anticholinergic medications carry particular risk for confusion, falls, and cognitive impairment.
What is polypharmacy review?
Systematic review of every medication — psychiatric, medical, over-the-counter, supplements — for indication, effectiveness, side effects, interactions, and appropriateness given the patient's goals and prognosis. Deprescribing is a core part of quality geriatric psychiatric care.
Is late-life depression different?
Yes. Late-life depression often presents with somatic complaints, apathy, or cognitive symptoms rather than sadness. Vascular contributors, medical comorbidities, and grief require careful differential diagnosis.