AGING AND MENTAL HEALTH
BY: MAIDA SHAFIQ
WHO defines health as a complete mental, social and physical wellbeing with absence of any disease. With the growing age MENTAL HEALTH is becoming an important and striving issue of public health missions. The aim and traditions of public health agencies that they are involved in creating awareness with the chronic and mental health diseases with the growing age.
MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS IN OLDER POPULATION
20% of people of age 55 or more experience mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, mood disorders, and anger issues. Mental health issues always associated with the case of suicides and yeah that`s absolutely right.
People of different ages have complications related to mental health but the older men have the highest suicide rate than any other age group. Because of the increasing mental health people are more likely to develop dementia and depression like diseases.
CONSEQUENCE OF DEPRESSION
Depression is the widespread mental disorder among older people. Older people which have depression they move a step back from their normal life or routine. The main reason of their depression is that because they need a special attention at this age but because of lack of it they fell towards anxiety which leads to depression. When older patients visit a doctor because of their old age they remain in hospitals for a long run of time. In most cases the depression is treatable but some rare cases are also examined by health experts which are not that easy to treat.
Depression is mostly not a recognizable disorder in older age. The common type of depression related disease is anxiety and it is curable.
EMOTIONAL SUPPORT AND CARE
Emotional support and care can prevent a person from falling towards depression. Sharing problems and information support which includes care and advices helps a person to heal and gives his\her life a flower of positivity. With the positivity in life there is very less chance of mental and physical illness.
According to a study, almost the people of age 50–64 never receives or somehow receive a little bit of emotional support while the people of age 65 or above claims that they never receive the love and care which they want to which is quite alarming.
LACK OF SATISFACTION
As we know satisfaction includes confidence similarly there is a negative word which is dissatisfaction. Due to this negativity people fell towards various physical diseases such as obesity, smoking addiction, alcohol addiction and many more.
People of age 50–64 claims they are dissatisfied with their lives than any other group of people.
TREATMENT MENTHODS FOR OLDER PEOPLE
A proper training of health professionals to treat the older people
Determination of their physical health
Healthy and love relationship with them for treatment
Emotional and information support
Full time care
CONCLUSION
Aging and mental health is a vast topic to discuss. It covers the bio physiological as well as social lives of people. There are various therapies and strategies which help to recognize and give the person a new life.
