Mental health articles

aging mental health issues  Different types of interventions have been successful in improving the mental health of elder people. Examples
of universal strategies are: exercise interventions (e. g. aerobic, t’ai chi, other physical exercises) and improving social support through befriending (especially older women seem to profit from friendships and social
support).

aging mental health issues  Promising preventive interventions for selective
and indicated elder populations include the use of patient education methods among chronically ill elderly (e. g. patients suffering from chronic pain) and their caregivers (e. g. psycho-educational programmes for caregivers of patients with  dementia), early screening and interventions in primary care (e. g. screening of high systolic blood pressure and anti-hypertensive medication for prevention of vascular dementia and stroke).
aging mental health issues  Early detection of depressive disorders in primary care can reduce the risk of suicide in older individuals.
Because of the  pharmacokinetic and  pharmacodynamic
concerns in older age, it is often recommended that clinicians “start low and go slow” when prescribing new psychoactive medications for older adults. Efficacy is great and side effects are minimized when initial
doses are small and the rate of increase is slow. Better
compliance with a pharmacological treatment regime may be achieved by giving simple instructions and by asking specific questions to make sure that the patient understands directions. An effective pharmacotherapy
can also avoid premature institutionalization. Last, the avoidance of excessive disability is of high importance.
aging mental health issues  For example, a co-occurring depressive disorder can contribute to excess disability by hastening functional impairment in patients with Alzheimer’s disease or another severe and persistent mental illness. Hence, attention to comorbid mental disorders may reduce the functional limitations associated with mental and somatic impairments.

Tags: aging, Health, mental, Mental health, mental health issues