Lecture 14

Question 1

mental health

Answer 1

is the state of your psychological and emotional
well-being. It is a necessary resource for living a
healthy life and a main factor in overall health.

Question 2

mental health is influence by

Answer 2

• life experiences
• relationships
• work or school
• physical health problems caused by long-term illness, and alcohol or drug abuse
• the type of community you live in

Question 3

risk factors for social isolation

Answer 3

-living alone;
-being age 80 or older;
-having compromised health status, including having
multiple chronic health problems;
-having no children or contact with family;
-lacking access to transportation;
-living with low income; and,
-changing family structures, younger people migrating
for work and leaving seniors behind, and location of
residence (e.g. urban, rural and remote).
-lack of awareness of or access to community services and
programs;
-fear, stigma or ageist attitudes (internal and external) that
prevent seniors from accessing community
services/programs or being socially active in their
community;
-lack of accessible and affordable transportation options
-lack of affordable and suitable housing and care options to
meet the varied needs of older adults;

Question 4

specific groups with higher rates of social isolation

Answer 4

-seniors with physical and mental health issues (including older
adults with Alzheimer’s disease or other related dementia, or
multiple chronic illnesses);
-low income seniors;
-seniors who are caregivers;
-Aboriginal seniors;
-seniors who are newcomers to Canada or immigrant seniors
(language proficiency issues, separation from family, financial
dependence on children, low levels of inter-ethnic contacts,
discrimination); and,
-lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered seniors.

Question 5

stress can come from

Answer 5

• Declines in physical performance
• Increased mood disturbance
• Loss of friends, family, job
• Most common age to commit suicide

Question 6

what % of canadian seniors report very good or excellent

Answer 6

70%

Question 7

stress

Answer 7

The body’s response to any imposed demand –

physical or mental

Question 8

anxiety

Answer 8

-A negative emotional state characterized by feelings of
nervousness, worry, fear and apprehension
-Most common mental health problem
-1 in 10 people
-Higher number of diagnoses in women than men

Question 9

depression two types

Answer 9

• clinical

- non-clinical

Question 10

clinical depression

Answer 10

-lowered mood or loss of interest for min. 2 weeks
accompanied by (any five of)
-Change in appetite
-wt gain/loss
-sleep disturbance
motor agitation or
reduction
-energy decrease
-sense of worthlessness
-guilt
-difficulty concentrating
-thoughts of self harm

Question 11

non clinical depression

Answer 11

-Mental state characterized by feelings of gloom and
listlessness
-Depression (both kinds) accompanies many chronic
diseases

Question 12

causes of depression

Answer 12

-specific, distressing life event(s)
-Biochemical imbalances (neurotransmitters)
-1% Canadian men, 2% of Canadian women depressed
-Once you suffer from depression, you are at higher
risk of being depressed again

Question 13

where you live is important

Answer 13

-seniors living in the community: an estimated 5% to
10% will experience a depressive disorder that is
serious enough to require treatment
-anxiety and depression dramatically increases to 30%
to 40% for seniors living in institutions.

Question 14

effects of exercise on mood

Answer 14

-Exercise was significantly associated with an
increased mood between pre- and post- physical
activity interventions in seniors especially when
compared to no treatment or yoga/flexibility controls
-Seemed that mood increased as physiological
benefit increased (not significant)

Question 15

ACSM recommendations for stress and anxiety

Answer 15

-Aerobic exercise usually prescribed to this population so may be
unfamiliar with resistance training
-Large muscle, rhythmic exercise choices, 20-30 minutes is optimal –
longer sessions show diminishing returns on feelings of anxiousness
-Moderate to intense exercise decreases state anxiety significantly – but
intensity is not that important
-Acute sessions of aerobic activity are as effective as meditation or antianxiety
meds in reducing individual anxiety and the effects of exercise
last longer than therapies focused on distraction from stimulus
-Resistance training does not show a significant anxiety-reducing effect

Question 16

exercise for depression

Answer 16

Exercise is moderately more effective than a control
intervention for reducing symptoms of depression,
but analysis of methodologically robust trials only
shows a smaller effect in favour of exercise

Question 17

summary- PA and depression

Answer 17

-Both aerobic and non-aerobic activities may reduce
depression
-The longer the program, the greater the impact
-Ind’s with more severe depression show more benefit
-As effective as other forms of treatment including
medications in mild to moderately depressed individuals
-Too few large scale, well controlled studies to make clear
conclusions

Question 18

ACSM recommendations for depression

Answer 18

-Physical inactivity is common as is high body weight
and sedentary behaviour – structured, supervised
exercise (initially)probably more successful
-Low to moderate cardio, 50-65% heart rate, 20-60
minutes
-Emphasize enjoyment

Question 19

HOW does exercise improve mental health

Answer 19

-There are so many variables at play, it is tough to determine a cause and effect relationship and none
has been solidly supported yet.
-Some evidence that exercise increases positive
emotions AND decreases negative emotions
-Exercise-induced blood circulation to the brain –
influence on the HPA axis (hypothalamus, pituitary,
adrenalin) that mediates response in the limbic
system (motivation and mood), the amygdala (stress
response) and the hippocampus (memory, mood and
motivation)
-Thermogenic hypothesis
-Monoamine hypothesis (dopamine, serotonin,
noradrenaline) (low levels linked to depression)
-Distraction theory
-Placebo theory

Question 20

social wellbeing of seniors is influenced by

Answer 20

-satisfaction with life
-social connectedness with others
-whether or not they are productive and active in the
community.

Question 21

factors that influence social connectedness and isolation

Answer 21

-70% of seniors reported feeling a somewhat or very
strong sense of belonging to their community
Depends on:
-Living situations (private residence, location, etc)
-Availability of transportation
-Having at least one close friend
-Belonging to an organization
-BUT: Don’t reach out for help because of the stigma of dependency