Paper Example on Assessing Mental Health in Older Adults

Introduction

Good mental health is paramount to the general wellbeing of mankind and it is important in older age as it is in any other age. Many people fear growing old due to the assumption that old age is associated with depression and stress. In this regard, older adults become reluctant to seek psychiatric help from a medical health practitioner. Ideally, the healthcare specialist plays a critical role in the detection and assessment of mental disorders in the aging population. Therefore, the main objective of this research paper is to assess mental health in older adults in consideration of anxiety and depression as the primary factors.

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In essence, depression and anxiety are the main causes of mental disorders in old age. Mental disorder can be described as a mental pattern or behavioural change in character which may be as a result of impairment of a brain. Symptoms of mental disorder can be temporary or permanent and may reoccur in episodes over different times. A mental disorder has always been known to be a clinical challenge. According to Ritchie (2014), mental disorder is known to affect the general wellbeing of an individual character resulting in psychological problems which hinder someone's ability to carry out day to day activities. Some of the symptoms associated with mental health disorder are fatigue, loss of appetite, low self-esteem, hopelessness, and lack of vigor and excitement. Mental disorder in older people results in memory loss, social seclusion, emotional temper and loss of appetite. Anxiety and depression are the two main factors causing mental disorder in old age (Szabo, 2011). The two main causes of mental health disorder are anxiety and depression disorder.

Anxiety Disorder

Anxiety is one of the main causes of mental health disorders in older age. Anxiety, therefore, is a mixed feeling of nervousness and apprehension as a result of fear or trouble (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). This disorder affects the general wellbeing of people and how they perceive life. People with this disorder will always have certain behaviours which directly affect their daily chores. The anxiety disorder is rampant and affects the largest proportion of the population. Clinical evidence associated with a mental disorder of this type has led to hypertension due to high blood pressure, fatigue, and nausea. Anxiety disorder has different levels of expectations, which vary from one person to another depending on many factors. According to the American Psychiatric Association (2013), the anxiety disorder can be categorized into different forms.

Social Phobia

The fear of being judged negatively by your actions is called a social phobia. Social phobia is one of the critical types of social disorders in human beings affecting both the young and the old. In this case, the old are affected in such a manner that they are unable to perform their normal duties and in the long run end up secluding themselves (Buck, 2014). Social phobia is diagnosed depending on the clinical judgement and as to whether the impact of social phobia is still huge in someone's personal life. Notably, in clinical assessments, the social anxiety symptoms in old age include poor eyesight which may be misjudged by medical personnel as something else (Szabo, 2011). The medical analysis of social phobia symptoms can be evident for about 6 months which form a basis for a good chance in the diagnosis of several disorders affecting the patient. The long period of medical analysis ensures that accurate results are obtained in order to recommend the best medication for a patient.

Panic Disorder

This anxiety disorder is characterized mainly by physical symptoms like heart palpitations, difficulty in breathing and chest pains. These symptoms tend to be frequent and recurring which eventually induce fear of the person suffering from such disorder (Buck, 2014). Adults are the most affected by this type of disorder due to their belief that death is on its way hence live in fear of the unknown destiny awaiting them.

Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder

This disorder is due to a mental health state resulting from excessive anxiety due to fear of separation from a loved one. People with this disorder tend to struggle to overcome the fear of unknown fate. According to (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), this type of disorder not only affects the younger age but also the older age. The older age requires their loved ones more than any other age in their lifetime. The frequent occurrence of separation does not warrant the diagnostic differences in pathological or non-pathological of adult separation anxiety disorder.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

It is a mental disorder which normally affects the older age due to distressing thoughts and intrusive actions. The effect of this disorder makes someone have personal attention towards himself such as the concern of cleaning his or her hands (Buck, 2014). If the neurocognitive disorder is present, then it makes the Obsessive-compulsive Disorder be treated as a mild neurocognitive disorder.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

This type of anxiety disorder causes psychological trauma in patients. It mostly affects old people who have retired from their jobs. It is also called post mental stress which is associated to old age and people gets this disorder when they leave their professional jobs. This is mostly caused by past experiences like a military compact, sexual harassment, and past bad memories. Victims diagnosed with such disorder can be placed under special treatment by a psychiatrist.

Treatment of Anxiety Disorders

A number of clinical solutions for the treatment of anxiety disorders exist. The first is to employ the use of psychotherapy method (Carter, 2014). It involves talking and spending time together with the old while giving them a word of advice and encouragement while at the same time taking the advantage of the situation to address key issues affecting their lives. The second is the use of cognitive behavioural therapy method. This method involves engaging the elderly in some activities through learning in order to change their thoughts and behaviours while at the same time training them how to face reality and conquer mental disorders. Support groups are majorly in the forefront in championing for the inclusivity and protection of the elderly in the society. Medication can also be used to relieve symptoms of anxiety but cannot treat the disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).

Depression Disorder

Depression is another main cause of mental health disorder and affects the old age at high proportion than the young age. Depression disorders are mainly associated with lifestyle encounters which can be as a result of past life experiences, past memories, the death of a partner, loss of property and disappointments from the children. According to American Psychiatric Association (2013), there are notable changes in the separation of bipolar and unipolar which clusters the disorder based on path-mechanisms. However, depression disorder diagnosis and treatment may not appear substantive and significant based on clinical approach (Randall, Thomas, Whiting, & McGrath, 2017).

The main cause of depression in older age persons is associated with hopelessness. In most cases, depression is associated with sadness, apathy, lack of vigor and lack of excitement. The prolonged anxiety disorder may cause depression in older people which lead to stress and finally stroke which may result in death.

Modes of Depression

Major Depression Disorder

The old adults suffer most from this type of disorder. Symptoms revealing this disorder may include loss of sleep, loss of interest in some activities, the feeling of worthlessness, personal guilt, tiresomeness and lack energy and excitement to participate in anything. These symptoms may last for a while before it is declared a depression disorder. The cause of depression may be as a result of extreme sadness and emptiness due to the vacuum created by a loved one and may be due to loss of property. These people tend to live a hopeless life due to bad perception associated with life derived from the past experiences (Ritchie, 2014).

Psychotic Depression

The prevalence of this type of depression is also high in old people. These psychotic features can likely occur in geriatric depression. Adults affected by psychotic depression are victims of seeing or hearing things that do not exist (hallucinations). Some adults tend to have false beliefs (delusions) and sometimes the feeling that other people want to harm you (paranoia) (Randall, Thomas, Whiting, & McGrath, 2017.

Persistent Depressive Disorder

This type of depression disorder occurs and persists over a long period of time. It is caused due to physical harm that befalls the victim. The old age population is the most affected by this disorder. Some of the symptoms associated with this disorder include; too much sleep or no sleep, lack of appetite, low self-esteem, hopelessness, fatigue and sometimes trouble in making decisions. Therefore the clinical condition of the older person can be used to determine the persistence of the depression symptoms which may be rated as either increasing, high or in a chronic state (Carter, 2014).

Manic Depression Disorder

This is a bipolar disorder which has mood swings ranging from extremely high energy to low energy. The sudden change in moods results in depression in some old adults. Adults tend to suffer from this type of depression through over-excitement, low mood and quick change of feelings of a particular event. This disorder can be lessened by frequent presence to places of victims to show them some level of love which will eventually raise their excitement and moods. Adults are delicate may be disappointed over small non-existent issues (Ritchie, 2014).

Seasonal Depression Disorder

This type of depression normally happens to adults in specific times, especially during the winter seasons. In this regard, seasons have shorter daytime than night hours hence less sunlight. Since adult wants a warm environment, the seasonal pattern change does not favor their health needs and requirements (Ritchie, 2014). Due to this seasonal weather change, adults may suffer from a seasonal depression disorder that lasts less than 15 minutes to 30 minutes in a day.

Treatment of Depression

Medication is a first step approach for treatment to persons suffering from depression disorders to relieve them from pain especially in old age persons suffering from addiction of drugs. The anti-depression drugs are usually recommended in order to boost their moods and excitement (Carter, 2014).

Psychotherapy is another best mode of treatment which must also be considered. It involves talking openly with the person and outlining the issues affecting them while empathizing with the person suffering from depression.

A lifestyle of old people should also be changed. It is advisable to change ways of living, behavior, eating habits and adopting to a quality lifestyle. Families taking care of patients should avoid giving them many demands and pressure. Old age people are advised to do a lot of exercises to keep their bodies active, interact with people and engage themselves in social forums (Buck, 2014).

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a type of treatment involving the use of electrical pulses to stimulate and activate some specific areas of brains hence boosting the moods and excitement of a victim. Alternatively, cognitive behavior therapy is another type of therapy that helps the victims with depression disorder a chance to learn a line of thought through behavior changes. They are also trained on how to cope and avoid fearful situations in their lives (Buck, 2014). This helps the older age persons to acquire soci...