1. Some Disorders More Common Than Others
Mental disorders in the elderly are frequently overlooked and undiagnosed. Depression and Alzheimer's disease top the list of mental illnesses that affect older adults, but these illnesses often go undetected. Many seniors are either hesitant or uneducated about where to get the appropriate help they need to feel healthier and happier. Also, primary care doctors are not necessarily trained to detect psychological disorders. Research has indicated that primary care doctors frequently miss the diagnosis and attribute symptoms to the normal aging process.
2. Depression Is Too Common
Depression is not part of the normal aging process and can have dire circumstances, particularly among white males over the age of 85. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), depression is one of the leading causes of suicide of white men over the age of 85, accounting for a death rate of over 49 percent per 100,000 seniors. People over the age of 65 represent 12 percent of the U.S. population, but account for over 16 percent of suicide deaths. Depression affects over three million American senior citizens.
3. Know Symptoms of Depression
If you know a senior who experiences symptoms of depression for longer than a two week period, encourage them to seek professional help. Depression is treatable, and once under control will allow for a better quality of life during their golden years.
Symptoms include a significant increase or decrease in sleep, noticeable change in appetite, inability to concentrate or a loss of focus, loss of enjoyment in favorite activities, increase in irritability, spending most of a day sad or tearful, or recurring thoughts of death and suicide.
4. Alzheimer's Disease Is More Than Forgetfulness
Occasional forgetfulness, sometimes referred to as age-related memory loss, is a part of getting older. But, continued memory loss that causes a decline in daily functioning could be an early sign of Alzheimer's disease. For instance, anyone might forget where they left their car keys. However, a person with Alzheimer's forgets what their car keys are used for and forgets how to use them.
Alzheimer's, which is a form of dementia, affects approximately five million Americans, according to NIMH. Normally, Alzheimer's is diagnosed after the age of 60, but there is a rare form of the disease that affects people as young as 30. As people age the risk increases, with approximately 50 percent of 85-year-olds afflicted.
5. Monitor Memory Issues
Alzheimer's is a progressive disease and symptoms continue to debilitate the person until they are longer able to care for themselves. Most patients live with Alzheimer's for eight to ten years, but some can live for up to 20 years after diagnosis. Experiencing symptoms of Alzheimer's disease is a frightening feeling.
Early detection will help improve the quality of life for a person suffering from Alzheimer's, so it's important to recognize and monitor the symptoms, which include: noticeable memory lapses, especially forgetting recently learned information, basic information like phone number and address, or the names of family and close friends; language decline and loss of commonly known words and phrases; trouble remembering something recently read; significant difficulty sleeping; agitated mood; forgetting how to do basic tasks, like cooking dinner; severe depression; loss of common sense or judgment, like walking in the snow in sandals; or badly misplacing common items, like putting a hammer in the freezer.
