Expertise pour mise sous tutelle en Tunisie : spécificités concernant les personnes âgées

The objectives of this work were to estimate the rate of elderly persons using survey reports for whom an appointment of a guardian was indicated, to draw up their sociodemographic profile, to describe the clinical and evolutionary aspects of the mental affections having underlain the indication of the appointment of a guardian, and to analyze the contents of survey reports as for the application of the rules which are imperative in this context. This retrospective study was carried out in the department of psychiatry of the hospital of Mahdia over a period of 12 years and concerned 71 adults examined for appointment of a guardian. The elderly examined in this framework represented 38%. The indication of the appointment of a guardian affected 25 elderly, i.e., 35% of the study population. The specificities of the psychiatric disorders of the elderly person, the importance of the assessment, the writing of reports, and the knowledge requested for the judicial authority require technicality and adapted training that must be found in the basic training module of psychiatrists.