Week 13: Aging and Psychological Disorders

Question 1

there are more people over ___ than under ___ for the first time ever

Answer 1

over 65 than under 14

Question 2

decrease in ____ with age; increase in ____ with age

Answer 2

decrease in anxiety; increase in dementia

Question 3

____ % of 85 year olds meet the criteria for dementia

Answer 3

25%

Question 4

how did the name “alzheimer” come to be

Answer 4

alois alzheimer was the first case

• showed signs of memory loss, executive function loss
• later found: reduced hippocampal saize, atrophy of cerebral cortex, enlarged ventricles

Question 5

how long do people have after the diagnosis of alzheimers

Answer 5

generally 5-10 years

Question 6

describe the nun study

Answer 6

800 nuns
very active
lived very long lives
half were mentally normal when died; other half showed physical signs of Alzheimer but not the memory loss or other Alzheimer symptoms when they were alive
- better development early in life - better equipped to fight degeneration later on

Question 7

what is the cognitive reserve hypothesis

Answer 7

build up cognitive reserves, less likely to experience problems with cognitive functioning later in life even if you posses the physical symptoms of Alzheimer

Question 8

explain the finger trial

Answer 8

2 year early intervention for Alzheimer - study

• 1190 in Finland at risk for dementia but didn’t yet show the signs of having it
• diet, exercise, cognitive training

people received
A: general help advice 3-4 times over 2 years

or

B: more intensive, multifaceted program with multiple sessions for each subset

results: intensive program boosted 75% of cognitive domain

Question 9

subtypes of dementia from most to least common

Answer 9

Alzheimer: 40-70%
vascular dementia: 15-25%
    - very abrupt, sudden drop in functioning; unpredictable
lewy body dementia: 2-20%
frontotemporal dementia: 2-4%

Question 10

DSM-5 critieria for Major Neurocognitive disorders (/dementia)

Answer 10

• significant cognitive decline
• interfere with everyday independence
• not exclusively in context of delirium
• not better explained by another mental disorder

Question 11

DSM-5 Criteria for Mild cognitive Disorder

Answer 11

• modest cognitive decline that DOES NOT INTERFERE WITH EVERYDAY LIFE
• not exclusively in the context of delirium
• not better explained by another mental disorder

Question 12

how to define significant cognitive decline

Answer 12

• defined based on previous level of performance in one or more cognitive domains

Question 13

tools for diagnosing someone with Alzheimer’s disease

Answer 13

• mini-mental state exam (MMSE)
• clock test
• geriatric depression scale
• geriatric suicide ideation scale (GSIS)

Question 14

treatment for Alzheimers

Answer 14

compression of morbidity- extending the number of years they have without major interference with life/ without significant health decline

Question 15

prevalence and incidence of Alzheimers

Answer 15

prevalance –> going up
incidence –> stable
- people are living with this disorder longer

Question 16

in national study of adults ages 45-85, how many

• reported being caregivers
• reported being care receivers

Answer 16

care givers: 44%

care receivers: 14%

Question 17

insomnia in older and in younger people

Answer 17

older: no problem falling asleep, but bad sleep and wake up constantly –> probably why many fall asleep all the time
younger: hard time getting to sleep, but once they get to sleep their sleep is pretty good

Question 18

treatment of sleep disorders

Answer 18

Sleep apnea: CPAP machine
insomnia: CBT, benzos, Z drugs
CBT here helps change behaviours to help induce sleep, create peaceful atmosphere

Question 19

APA practice and guidelines - treatment and care of older adults

Answer 19

psychologists. ..
- encouraged to recognize how their beliefs and attitudes are relevent to their assessment of others
- strive to be familair on current info about aging, knowledgable about psychopathy within the aging population, theory, research, and practice new methods of assessment with adults; strive to be familiar with, and develop, skills in applying specific psychotherapeutic interventions and environmental modifications for use with older adults
- encouraged to increase their knowledge with respect to working with older adults