MENTAL

HEALTH CHAPTER 10

Mental Health the triangle of emotion, social, pyschological health
Mental Disorder - affect your mood, thinking and behavior.
Based on how we PERCEIVE, biases.
Societal/cultural influences/behaviors must be considered

Characteristics of mentally healthy people:

Positive attitude toward self
Accurate preception of reality
Mastery of the environment
Autonomy
Personal balance
Growth and self-actualization

Personality changes may be adaptive (not just because they are old)

Multidimensional Life-Span Approach To Understand Psychopathy

Biological Forces:
o Physical health issues can trigger mental health issues.
o Other health conditions
Psychological Forces:
o Changes in cognitive functioning
o Normative changes can mimic mental disorders
o Nature of personal relationships
Sociocultural Forces:
o Environmental
o Cultural differences must be taken into account
Life-Cycle Factors
o Generational differences
o Growth vs. Difficulty adjusting
o MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
Ethnicity, Gender, Aging, and Mental Health
Disparties:
o Inadequate health care
o Environmental health risks
o Stress of prejudice and discrimination

Depression:
Medical
o Medications
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI)
Noreoinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI)
 Norepinephrine dopamine reuptake inhibitors
(NDRI)
Combined reuptake inhibitors and receptor
blockers
Tetracyclic antidepressants
o Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) changes in blood flow.
Physical problem with changes in brain chemistry
o Exercise effective means for combatting depression
Influences with growth hormones
Psychotherapy
o Behavior Therapy anger, sadness, etc.
o Cognitive Therapy change how they think about
themselves. Blaming themselves.

Delirium:
Disturbance of consciousness that develops rapidly
Due to medical conditions, medication side effect, substance
intoxication or withdrawal, exposure to toxins, or a
combination.
Most cases can be cured.
o Give older adults too many prescriptions, without
having a lot of knowledge about interactions. One of the
biggest sources of problems for older people.
Dementia:
Affects over 37 million globally
Most older adults are not demented
About a dozen forms of dementia have been identified

Alzheimers Disease
Alzheimers Disease is the most common form (~70%)
o Progressive
o Degenerative
o Fatal
Neurological Changes
o Rapid cell death
o Neurofibrillary Tangles
o Plaques consisting of a core of beta-amyloid, a protein,
surrounded by degenerated fragments of dying or dead
neurons.
Symptoms and Diagnosis
Gradual changes in cognitive function
Declines in personal hygiene and self-care skills
Inappropriate social behavior
Changes in personality
Sundowning symptoms are worse in the evening
Diagnosis: only way to diagnose with certainty is with an autopsy. (but
getting closer with imaging)

We dont know for certain what the cause ismajor research area.
Autosomal dominant inheritance patterns: involve one gene
from rither ones mother or father in order to cause the
condition.

Beta-amyloid cascade hypothesis: the process by which beta-amyloid

creates neuritic plaques that in turn lead to tangles that cause
neuronal death.

Invention Strategies
Memory improvement drugs
Behavioral strategies are more efective than drugs
o One is called spaced retrieval: involves using an
implicit-internal memory intervention
Taking Care of Dementia Patients:
At Home:
o Caregivers are at risk for depression
o Effective Behavioral Strategies
Include financial plans, rethinking issues such as
bathing, dressing, grooming.
Strategies to prevent wandering
Incontinence diapers, comfortable caretaker,
etc.
Removing items may be more harmful and
jewelry that might become lost
Vascular Dementia
Numerous small cerebal vascular accidents
o Occurs with greater rapidity than Alzheimers
Parkinsons Disease
Slow walking
Difficulty getting into or out of chairs
Slow hand tremors
Treatment:
o Levodopa: raises the levels of dopamine in the brain
o Sinemet: a combination of levodopa and carbidopa
o Stalevo: combination of Sinemat and entacapone

Huntingtons Disease
Involuntary flicking movement of the arms and legs
 Hallucinations, paranoia, depression, and clear personality
changes.
Alcohol-Related Dementia
Wenicke-Korsakoffs syndrome
Key symptom = confabulation
AIDS Dementia Complex or ADC
Encephalitis, behavioral changes, decline in cognitive function
Progressive slowing of motor functions
Anxiety Disorders
Symptoms and Diagnosis:
o Physical changes that interfere with functioning
o Anxiety in older adults may be
Appropriate to the situation
Due to underlying health problems
Treating Anxiety Disorders:
o Medications
o Psychotherapy
Psychotic Disorders:
Schizophrenia
o Severe impairment of the thought processes
o Delusions
o Onset occurs most often between ages 16 and 30
Natural course of the disorder is improvement
over the adult life span
Treating:
o Emphasizes medication
o Difficult to treat with psychotherapy
Substance Abuse
Elderly persons drug of choice is alcohol
o Craving
o Impaired control
o Physical dependence
o Tolerance
Middle age shows effects of earlier alcoholism
Disease of the liver and pancreas
Various types of cancer
Cardiovascular disease