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Mental Health of the Elderly

Elderly people are at a greater risk of mental disorders and their complications than are younger people. Many of these illness, depression, Alzheimer's disease, anxiety, and other health problems can be diagnosed and treated properly. Sadly, many elderly people are reluctant to seek psychiatric treatment because they don't understand mental illness or acknowledge its existence. They feel ashamed of their symptoms or feel that they are an evitable part of aging. Many times their doctors fail to recognize the symptoms of treatable mental illness in older people.

• Fifteen to 25 percent of elderly people in the U.S. suffer from significant symptoms of mental illness.
• The highest suicide rate in America is among those aged 65 and older.
• Severe organic mental disorders afflict one million elderly people in this country and another two million suffer from moderate organic disorders.

Depression

Depression can mimic dementia. Some experts estimate that as many as ten percent of those diagnosed with dementia actually suffer from depression that, if treated, is reversible. If you or a loved one experience any of the following symptoms of depression for more than two weeks, you should seek help.

• Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, helplessness, inappropriate guilt, prolonged sadness or unexplained crying spells, jumpiness or irritability, loss of interest in and withdrawal from formerly enjoyable activities, family, friends, work or sex.
• Intellectual problems such as unexplainable loss of memory or the ability to concentrate, confusion and disorientation.
• Thoughts of death or suicide, suicide attempts.
• Physical problems such as loss of appetite or a noticeable increase in appetite, persistent fatigue and lethargy, insomnia or a noticeable increase in the amount of sleep needed, aches and pains, constipation, or other physical ailments.

Dementia

Dementia is characterized by confusion and memory loss. Disorientation is not an inevitable part of growing old. In fact only 15 percent of older Americans suffer from this condition. Of that number, an estimated 60 percent suffer from Alzheimer's disease, a progressive mental deterioration for which no cause or cure has been found.

Dementia can be caused by:

Complications of chronic high blood pressure, blood vessel disease or a previous stroke.

Parkinson's disease, which generally begins with involuntary and small tremors or problems with voluntary movements.

Huntington's disease, a genetic disorder that begins in middle age and has symptoms of changed personality, mental decline, psychosis and movement disturbances.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, thought to be caused by a viral infection leading to rapid and progressive dementia.

Our clinicians at Bloomingdale Psychological Services can help in treatment of the above disorders through individual or family counseling.

For more information please call Bloomingdale Psychological at 610-688-2737.

Related Topics

Anxiety

Bereavement

Depression