Mental Illness in Senior Citizens

Mental illness affects one out of every five senior citizen Americans. Just a handful of the significant mental health problems that may occur during old age include delirium, dementia, depression, schizophrenia and psychosis. Older adults who suffer with mental health conditions often tend to have very abnormal behavioral and cognitive patterns that are many times associated with a decreased capacity for them to function properly.

Other major symptoms that older adults usually complain of include sleep problems (not able to get to sleep or stay asleep), a change in appetite and mood (depression). A lot of older adults have more of a problem falling asleep than persons in any other age group. A study done with adults over the age of 65 discovered that both men and women often times take 30 minutes or longer falling asleep.

The senior citizen population is very vulnerable to several health risks from a diet poor in nutrition. Economical, psychological and physiological changes during this time can contribute to poor nutrition.

In a lot of cases, mental health problems in senior citizens that require some type of treatment are all too often ignored by health care professionals. Inadequate treatment of mental illnesses in senior citizens seems to be the most prominent thing that contributes to a high suicidal rate in this age group. Many senior citizens require very specialized mental health services.

There are many situations that help contribute to unacceptable mental health services to senior citizens. Some of these are listed below:

1.In a lot of cases, the elderly are reluctant to receive treatment for their mental health disorder. Instead, they continue to live with their mental discomfort, and often show resistance to leaving their homes or going to any rehabilitation center or mental health clinic.

2.Our culture has never shown any type of respect or dignity for those suffering from mental health disease. Even some mental health professionals are uneasy about an elderly person with this condition. Attitudes and mind-sets of these professionals have a major influence on the quality and type of medical care provided to these patients.

3.Negligence is another huge hurdle. In all to many situations, indicators of mental health conditions are just written off as a sign of ageing.

There are other major obstacles, including shortages in federal and state-supported community avoidance programs for seniors, insufficient insurance coverage and lack of mental health staff that is well trained in this area. Unfortunately, as our population ages, this problem will become more prevalent.