This multiauthored introductory textbook could not have been conceived
or brought to fruition 10 or 15 years ago. Indeed, at that time
relatively little attention was accorded to the psychological needs of
older adults. The general tenor of the field then was that older adults
would not benefit from psychological intervention. As we now know, this
was a faulty assumption that has been discredited with empirical data.
Indeed, clinical research data adduced, primar- ily in the last decade,
clearly documents that older adults do benefit from specific
psychotherapies that are tailored to their unique presentation of
symptoms. Given the explosion of interest in this area (as evinced by
increased investi- gatory activity, national funding, and media
attention) and the increased number of masters-and doctoral-level
courses devoted to this topic, we felt that the time was right for a
textbook in the area. Such flurry of activity also has been fueled by
statistics showing how our population by the year 2030 will consist of
30% who are senior citizens. Moreover, since 12% of older adults in the
community are estimated to have diagnosable psychiatric disorders and
40% to 50% of older adult medical inpatients have a concomitant
psychiatric disorder, the task for clinicians in the next century will
be overwhelming.