GERO/PSYC-4151: Mental Health Issues in the Aging Population

This report, prepared for Lakehead University's GERO/PSYC-4151 course, examines the growing issue of mental health in the aging population. It highlights the increasing vulnerability of the elderly to social disengagement, financial difficulties, and depression, while also addressing the impact of poor mental health conditions like dementia and schizophrenia. The report delves into the causes and signs of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, and discusses the role of psychologists in diagnosis, intervention, and support for the elderly. It emphasizes the importance of psychological interventions, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, and the need for improved awareness, social support, and access to care to mitigate the adverse consequences of mental health issues among the aging population.

RUNNING HEAD: PSYCHOLOGY OF AGING
Mental Health Issues in the Aging Population
Abrielle Tempeny
Lakehead University
Dr. Joshua Armstrong
GERO/PSYC-4151
29 March 2019
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RUNNING HEAD: PSYCHOLOGY OF AGING
MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES IN THE AGING POPULATION
The extent of aging population is growing multiple times quicker than the total global populace
itself, and by 2050, one out of four individuals will be older than 60 years. An aging population
offers numerous advantages, as the elderly have an abundance of information and experience that
can be an important resource for financial improvement. (Bélanger, LeBlanc & Morin, 2012).
The old are progressively powerless against social disengagement, loss of self-sufficiency, loss
of security, monetary hindrances and increased depression. In nations around the globe, people
with poor psychological wellness might not have solid emotionally supportive networks that can
help, and the people who are influenced by dysfunctional behaviors regularly don't get the
consideration and treatment they require to show signs of improvement. This scope of this paper
is to discuss the challenges facing the aging population and factors that cause these problems.
(Boudiny, 2013).
Discussion
Poor psychological well-being conditions (e.g., dementia, epilepsy, schizophrenia), joined with
money-related limitations, stigmatization and discrimination in the network against mental
issues, limits access to care services and prepared experts. The circumstance is additionally
exacerbated by e absence of subsidizing finances and prioritization of psychological mental
health issues and aging population (Bryant et al, 2012). There are cases where the older adult
population specifically acquire mental health stigmas a result of bad past experiences. Global
trend like the increasing mobile phone subscriptions in the world and other communication
technologies are expected to support health interventions for healthy aging in the discipline of
mental health.
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"Psychological wellness and prosperity are fundamental segments of a solid society" (Chang,
Wray & Lin, 2014). Notwithstanding, the world's community are developing and aging, which
has obvious ramifications like mental effects and other body weakness as result of reduced body
strength. By 2050, the number of people 60 years old and more seasoned will make up about
22% (two billion people) of the total populace – a drastic increase from 11% (760 million
people) in 2011. The biggest development of the older populace will happen in Low and Middle
income countries( LMICs), where health frameworks are arranged to react to mental,
neurological, and substance misuse issue (Campion, Bhui & Bhugra, 2012). Mental health
/psychological issues, defined as a lot of ailments that influence an individual's reasoning,
feeling, inclination, capacity to identify with others and day by day working (Chang, Wray &
Lin, 2014), influence roughly 450 million individuals around the globe. At the point when the
WHO led the latest World Mental Health Survey in 14 nations, predominance rates for
psychological well-being are high. Be that as it may, translating these rates by a nation is
impossible moving forward without any more understanding different elements, for example,
family structures, the pervasiveness of war and different wellsprings of stress, urbanization of the
populace and conviction frameworks. Mental health conditions of the aging population, which
incorporate schizophrenia, bipolar turmoil, depression rates , alcohol and substance misuse and
reliance, fears and sadness, are especially undermining on the grounds that they are related with
abnormal amounts of incapacity, , untimely mortality (Chang,Wray & Lin,2014). Among older
individuals, despondency and dementia are the most widely recognized psychological sicknesses.
For gloom, predominance gauges in LMICs are hard to diagnose for older people;
notwithstanding, in HICs, pervasiveness for burdensome scenes among more established grown-
ups have been assessed to be 6-10% in essential consideration settings and 30% in inpatient
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therapeutic and long haul care settings. In these settings, rate rates for burdensome scenes are
assessed to associate with problematic issues among the old. For dementia, the number of
sickness cases among older population are constantly rising (Chronister, Chou & Liao, 2013).
With regards to aging, depression and dementia side effects have been ascribed to elderly abuse,
neglect, strain, family disagreements, housing issues, budgetary weaknesses and subjective
perceptions of confinement, particularly if the elderly do not acquire solid care support from
relatives, for example, their biological youngsters (Chou & Liao, 2013).. Positive solutions
incorporate good moral help, notwithstanding exhibited love and affection, which would need
families to be well educated about age-related conditions and approaches to give improved help
to older individuals from their families. People in the society are less educated about the kind of
help an roles that they should play in assisting the aging population. Programs and training
workshops needed to be created in order for these changes to be done.in this way awareness and
strategies that need to be undertaken in helping the aged will be well understood by other people
for example the young generation. Be that as it may, numerous more seasoned individuals swing
to liquor to help adapt to sentiments of misfortune or forlornness trying to ease depression
(Coyle & Dugan, 2012). Proof from different nations has carried out critical research an
identified strategies needed is significant as far as how to treat psychological maladjustments, the
capacity to perceive when sickness is developing , learning of assistance looking for alternatives
and medicines, information of successful procedures for milder issues, and emergency treatment
and medicinal interventions to help people with emotional well-being issues.
Stigmatization and discrimination encompassing psychological/mental health issues confound
training and awareness procedures. (El-Gabalawy, Mackenzie, Pietrzak & Sareen, 2014). These
variables disallow individuals from understanding care and support exists and from looking for
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sufficient consideration for people with psychological issues. Among older people, these
conditions, joined with slightness, add to poor access to social. There is a requirement for
improved attention to psychological well-being issues, more grounded social help, and better
medication (Giuli et al, 2014).. Regardless of the difficulties in lessening the illness load ascribed
to mental issues, an opportunity to act is required. What is constraining this concept is the
minimal knowledge existing in dealing the issues and decreased utilization of resources for the
old. Without activity, mental issues will represent $16.1 trillion in economic and productivity
problems through the span of the following 20 years in the world.
Developing probable solutions to end the problems associated with mental issues among the
aging population will need proper investment, priority and adequate resources (Giuli et al, 2014).
Otherwise, it will lead to long term adverse consequences in the future.
Studies demonstrate that 50-70% of all essential consideration therapeutic visits to a clinician for
screening are identified with mental factors, for example, anxiety, depression levels, and stress.
Rural areas have less access to secondary care services (Giuli et al, 2014). Older adults with
medical challenges like heart disease have higher rates of depression. This lower their
immunities leading to other infections and cancer
Further discussion on Dementia, it is evident that it is a psychological sickness that alludes to the
subjective cognitive decrease of a person. This implies they can lose their memory, have a
decreased capacity to solve problems. Fixation is needed to decrease the level of aging cognitive
impairment (Goldmann & Galea, 2014). This happens on the grounds that the cells in the
cerebrum that aid these vital elements start to cease to exist or harm happens.
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Causes of dementia
As we referenced, reasons for dementia can originate from the passing of cerebrum cells or harm
to the brain. Elective causes of dementia include:
The absence of blood or oxygen to the cerebrum
Dementia Causes
• Pressure on the cerebrum (can be brought
about by a tumor)
The absence of blood or oxygen to the
cerebrum
• Head damage
• Fluid developed between the brain and the
cerebrum lining – likewise alluded to as
hydrocephalus
• Another neurological malady like
Parkinson's – we will inspect this later on
• Infection
• Vitamin insufficiency
• Excessive liquor utilization over a
significant lot of time
Signs of dementia
Indications of dementia include:
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• Confusion
• Lack of attention and core interest
• Memory misfortune
Kinds of dementia
Dementia is an expansive term, which envelops the loss of memory, so there is a wide range of
types of it, including:
• Alzheimer's disease
• Vascular dementia – Problems in the veins result in this type of dementia.
• Dementia with Lewy bodies – Abnormal bunches of the protein alpha-synuclein, which create
in the cortex of the cerebrum.
Alzheimer's malady
Alzheimer's malady is a type of dementia, which implies territories of the mind that clutch
memory, conduct and believing are influenced. As the most widely recognized type of dementia,
Alzheimer's malady is the conclusion of 60 to 80 percent of all dementia cases (Hasegawa et al,
2015). About five percent of cases are individuals more youthful than 65.
Causes
There are no obvious reasons for Alzheimer's infection, yet researchers keep on moving in the
direction of revealing potential causes. It is often considered as an infection here are some
conceivable reasons for Alzheimer's infection:
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• Genetic, way of life and ecological factors throughout the years.
• Plaques – Clumps of protein, beta-amyloid, which cause harm to the mind cells.
Research Psychologists are at the edge of research on inquiries identified with the aspects of both
aging and health. A question such as for what reason is most elderly fruitful in adjusting to the
stressors of aged life, while others become self-destructive? Therapist help in the advancement of
analytic instruments for diagnosis. Therapists have the fundamental mastery to survey and
separate between disorders, for example, dementia, sorrow, uneasiness, reactions from
prescriptions, or mixes of these issues. Conversely, insanity, change responses are indicators of
psychological distress among the aging population (Hasegawa et al, 2015). The legal system
looks to a psychologist to help decide if more seasoned grown-ups have the ability to deal with
their own issues (Discussion). Stressors normal in late life essentially influence the wellbeing
and autonomy of more established grown-ups. Life stressors incorporate adjusting to and
adapting to late-life advances, sorrow, poverty, various ailments, functional constraints,
intellectual changes, perpetual torment, and care for a sick relative. Therapists utilize mental
intercessions, including different psychotherapies, to enable the elderly to manage psychological
well-being issue and late-life stressors. The most widely recognized mental mediations
incorporate cognitive– conduct, relational, and psychodynamic psychotherapy; conduct alteration
and disease management techniques; cognitive preparing strategies; and environmental change
(Makai, Brouwer, Koopmanschap, Stolk & Nieboer, 2014). Psychological interventions have
been appeared to be powerful in the treatment of numerous mental well-being issue. This has
been witnessed in many social settings because it involves making the older generation have
positive attitude, behaviour and improves their psychological wellbeing through happiness.
When the old people are contented in the society various mental sicknesses do not attack them
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RUNNING HEAD: PSYCHOLOGY OF AGING
quite often as compared to other intervention which are short term. The accessibility of
nonpharmacological medicines for psychological wellness issues is particularly vital for more
elderly people.
This is on the grounds that they are regularly on different prescriptions for physical medical
issues, are progressively inclined to certain antagonistic reactions of mental drugs than more
youthful people, and, as noted, frequently favor psychotherapy (Makai,et al 2014) This is
because aging adults are usually on several medications for physical health challenges hence
they are more prone to problematic side effects of the use of psychiatric medicines.
Psychotherapy is this more preferred. Apart from conducting research, psychologist work closely
with the elderly to help them deal with aging life stress like medical health decrease, loss of
loved family and relocation to anew living condition
Anxiety issue.
Clinicians utilize psychotherapy and steady directing to treat tension issue in more seasoned
grown-ups, the recurrence of which is similar to that of depression in more seasoned individuals.
(Makizako et al, 2015).
Management of endless illnesses
Therapists help more established grown-ups deal with different interminable ailments that
regularly go with aging, for example, heart illness, stroke, and arthritis pain.
Substance Misuse. Liquor misuse is a huge issue for some elderly and is one of the eight driving
reasons for death among older Americans. Psychologists can enable more seasoned grown-ups to
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support their inspiration to quit drinking, distinguish conditions that trigger drinking, and adopt
new techniques in order to adapt to high-hazard drinking circumstances. Some more elderly have
issues with addiction to physician-recommended drug for anxiety and need assistance in
diminishing or halting medicine.
Suicide. The elderly people especially the white men in the US are more prone to suicide cases.
This mainly brought about by high depression rates (Mölsä et al, 2014). Various psychologists
are gifted at distinguishing discouragement hence evaluating for suicide risk. Essential
consideration suppliers frequently ignore the potential connection between physical side effects
and mental health issues. This connection is identified when older people physical abuse affect
their mental wellbeing in future.
Recommendations
This is study is important since it establishes policy recommendation s that used to improve
mental health care for the older people in America and other regions across the world.
One strategy is to ensure the creation of opportunities to train professionals in the field of
psychology who will deal with aging population mental issues (Mölsä et al, 2014). Research
should be expanded and increase funding resources for training and treatment for mental health
challenges among older people.
Raising the early disease identification and treatment for the elderly with emotional well-being
issues through providing services like primary care settings, community help groups, senior
centers and also good residential areas.
There is an exceptionally high commonness of psychological well-being issue in long haul care
foundations, for example, nursing homes. Therapists' essence in these settings has enormously
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expanded in the previous decade. Clinicians work with office staff to all the more adequately
oversee occupant social issues, for example, hostility and meandering, and to improve personal
satisfaction for both staff and inhabitants. Therapists work with people and with gatherings of
inhabitants to enable them to all the more likely change in accordance with life in long haul care,
restorative issues, misery, tension, and the loss of chronic illness (Meyer, Castro-Schilo &
Aguilar-Gaxiola, 2014).
Supporting legislation in order to expand the accessibility of and access to successful emotional
well-being hospital services for the elderly. Obstructions to treatment incorporate monetary
costs; absence of equality between repayment of wellbeing versus emotional wellness services;
poor acknowledgment and finding of psychological wellness conditions among older individuals,
absence of projects concentrating on more elderly emotional well-being issues; hesitance of
essential consideration suppliers to allude to emotional well-being experts; transportation; living
in a provincial or underserved territory; and stigma (Nyqvist, Forsman,Giuntoli & Cattan,2013).
Increase financing through Medicaid, as indicated by the Older American act. Increase
coordination of mental and physical social insurance. Due to the regularly perplexing exchange
of physical and emotional well-being issues in more seasoned grown-ups, interdisciplinary
consideration is expected to give ideal consideration (Rueggeberg, Wrosch & Miller, 2012). Use
of cognitive behavioral therapy is also important. They should also be helped in regular physical
exercise.
Conclusion
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The society should play a huge role in averting away hazard factors related to psychological
sicknesses and improve mental and intellectual wellbeing (Tel, 2013). For the elderly facing
psychological maladjustments or cognitive reduction, mobile Health interventions can help
screen states of mind, advance more beneficial practices related with better emotional well-
being, create mindfulness about what's in store amid psychological well-being care and
treatment, and give access to mediations without going to prepared experts.
In spite of the fact that a maturing populace will bring an abundance of learning and experience
to social orders, wellbeing frameworks are not set up to react to the dynamically expanding
weight of age-related mental issues conditions, for example, psychological disorders (Wuthrich
& Frei,2015). This paper depicts the up and coming difficulties in scaling up psychological
well-being assets over the world sooner rather than later as the world's old populace and
emotional well-being ailment load develop rapidly. This paper, be that as it may, likewise
proposes potential answers to going up against these difficulties, considering existing resources.
People should utilize technologies like mobile phone use in providing information regarding the
medical intervention required to treat mental disorders among the old. Education and awareness
should be spread in order to ensure that community members are better informed on aging
mental issues. As stated by Zimmer (2016) they should also be willing to hold the elderly in
terms of proper nutrition, care, and medication. Families should regularly care for the aging
population and should neither stigmatize nor discriminate them.
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