Week 3b: Psychological aging and mental health Flashcards
Cognition
Attention
Memory
Problem-solving
Self and personality
Moods and emotions
Who you are
What you value
Temperament
Character
Social relationships
How you relate to others, social support groups and networks
Mental health
A state of well-being
Neurotransmitters related to healthy aging
Dopamine
Serotonin
Norepinephrine
**decline with aging
Dopamine
Reward-motivation system
Motor control
Decision making and teaching
Motivation
Pleasure
Serotonin
Happy
Mood
Memory
Sleep
Cognition
Norepinephrine
Regulates blood pressure
Memory formation and retrieval
Stress and sleep regulation
Mental illness
Characterized by alterations in thinking, mood or behaviour, associated with distress and impaired functioning
**diagnosed with this
What is the most common mental health condition among older adults?
Depression
Common mental health disorders in older adults
Depression
Suicide
Anxiety disorders
Dementia
Loneliness and isolation
Delusion
Delirium
Paraphrenia
Concurrent disorders (disorders that work together against eachother)
What effects mental health?
Physical factors
Emotional
Spiritual
Social
Late onset depression
Cognitive component
Memory impairment
Decreased blood flows or TIAs (stroke)
Symptoms similar to dementia so usually get diagnosed with dementia
Symptoms of depression
- Memory problems
- Confusion
- Social withdrawal
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
- Vague complaints of pain
- Sleeping too much or too little
- Anxious
- Delusions
- Hallucinations
Diagnostic criteria for depression
During a 2-week period or more and individual has 4 or more of these symptoms including depressed mood or loss of interest/pleasure
- Weight loss or gain
- Insomnia or hypersomnia
- Fatigue
- Feelings of worthlessness
- Diminished ability to think
- Recurrent thoughts of death
SIGECAPS
Mneumonic for the symptoms you should be looking for if you are a caregiver/family member to diagnose depression
What does SIGECAPS stand for?
S: sleep disturbance
I: loss of interest
G: inappropriate/excessive guilt
E: decreased energy and increased fatigue
C: diminished ability to concentrate
A: appetite change
P: psychomotor agitation
S: suicidal ideation
Impact of depression
More doctor/ER visits
Increased meds
Higher outpatient charges
Longer hospital stays
Increased readmission rates
Highest risk for suicide
Why are mental illnesses missed?
In older adults depression signs and symptoms differ from younger people
Older adults are less likely to self-identify problems
Mental illnesses can accompany or stem from physical problems
Depression can be an early sign of dementia
Environmental, social and cultural factors influence symptoms
Mental health in Canada
- Lack of adequate mental health services and community supports
- Gaps in service outweigh the opportunities for access
- Increased need for focus on primary care, dementia patients and those with serious mental illnesses
Five key factors that effect mental health of older adults
- Participation in meaningful activities
- Relationships
- Poverty
- Physical health
- Discrimination
Prevalence of mental health problems in adults age 65
20-30%
