Mental Health in Aging Flashcards
1
Q
What is mental health
A
- The promotion of well being, the prevention of mental disorders, and the treatment and rehabilitation of people affected by mental disorders
- Essentially the absence of illness
2
Q
Mental health in older adults
A
- Life changes that impact their mental
- Approximately 17-30% of peole 65+ experience some kind of mental health concern, most commonly anxiety or depression
- Older men have the highest suicide rate
- Conditions are associated with increased cognitive decline and dementia risk
3
Q
Why do mental health conditions go unrecognized
A
- Stigma around the issue
- Other issues with health can make it more difficult to stop
- They don’t have enough services, so they only get help when it’s too late
4
Q
Risk factors for mental health in older adults
A
- Cumulative stressed and adversity across life
- Lack of social and emotional support leading to increased loneliness
- Abuse of older adults increases anxiety and depression risk
- Caring for a spouse with chronic conditions
5
Q
Warning signs of mental illness in old people
A
- Same as in young people
- A few weird one’s like being constant pain
6
Q
Substance abuse in older adults
A
- Many take lots of meds and this can lead to polypharmacy
- Alcohol, weed, and other meds are used to treat things like sleep problems, pain, etc.
- Due to decreased muscle mass it takes longer for meds to breakdown and this can lead to things like dizziness
7
Q
Generalized anxiety disorder
A
- Constant or excessive worry about everything which interferes with life
8
Q
Phobias
A
- Extreme anxiety and fear associated a situation or object
9
Q
PTSD
A
- Extreme fear after a traumatic event
10
Q
Panic disorder
A
- Experiencing frequent and unexpected periods of intense fear when there is no danger
11
Q
Depression
A
- Major depressive disorder
- Persistent depressive disorder
- Drug induced depression
- Illness induced depression
12
Q
Suicide
A
- Older white men commit suicide most often
- 40% of people who commit suicide visited the doctor within a week of doing it and 75% within a month
- A lot of doctors donc look at the link between mental and physical issues
13
Q
General health effects of mental illness
A
- Anxiety/depression result in high rates of medical service utilization
- Increased mortality and risk of disease
- Increases in cortisol
14
Q
Cognitive changes due to mental illness
A
- Depression and anxiety are associated with impairments in executive functioning and attention as well as problems with memory
- Not clear whether cognitive deficits precede, follow, correlate with or are causal for mood/anxiety disorders
- Some suggets that poor cognitive function predicts onset/increased severity of mood and anxiety disorder over time
15
Q
Brain changes due to mental health
A
- Reduced GM volume and WM integrity
- Functional and structural abnormalities in places like the hippocampus and amygdala
- These changes suggest abnormalities in executive function, memory, and attention to some stimuli
