BY DR. SYED SHAZIA RIZVI
Depression, suicide, anxiety disorders, drug abuse. Due to various reasons, various studies suggest that mental health problems are increasing exponentially in Kashmir and elderly people are no exception.
There are many risk factors for mental health conditions at different stages of life, and older age itself turns out to be one of the risk factors for mental problems.
Significant ongoing loss of capabilities and decreased functional capacity, reduced mobility, chronic pain, frailty, associated comorbidities, decreased socioeconomic status after retirement, and elder abuse are some of the predisposing conditions. that have a negative impact on the mental health of the elderly. .
All of these stressors can result in isolation, loneliness, or psychological distress. Globally, more than 20% of adults over the age of 60 have a mental or neurological disorder.
The most common mental and neurological disorders in this age group are dementia and depression, which affect approximately 5% and 7% of the world’s older population, respectively. Anxiety disorders affect 3.8% of the elderly population.
Also, mental health illnesses in older adults can be difficult to recognize because older people may have different symptoms than younger people. In some older adults with depression, low mood is not their main symptom.
Instead, they may experience memory problems, confusion, social withdrawal, loss of appetite, inability to sleep, irritability, and in some cases, delusions and hallucinations.
