People may go through life events as they become older, such as dealing with a serious illness or losing a loved one, that influence their mental or behavioral health. While a lot of people will cope with these changes in their lives, some may feel depressed, lonely, or socially isolated. Persistent negative emotions have the potential to develop into mental diseases like anxiety and depression.
Additionally, mental health is extremely important at all stages of life. Because of this, it is important to recognize the signs of mental health problems and how to support older adults through rough times. There are effective treatment alternatives available to assist senior citizens in managing their mental health and enhancing their standard of living. The initial steps to receiving therapy are identifying the symptoms and visiting a physician.
What you will learn:
- Key indicators of common mental health disorders in older adults
- Effective communication strategies
- Various intervention techniques
- The importance of caregivers
Details
Course length: 1 hour and 30 minutes. CME: 1.5
Languages: American English
Key features: Audio narration, learning activity, and post-assessment.
American Medical Compliance is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing education to physicians. Our Continuing Medical Education (CME) program is committed to enhancing the knowledge, skills, and professional performance of healthcare providers to improve healthcare outcomes. Through high-quality educational activities, we aim to address the identified educational gaps to support the continuous professional development of our medical community. American Medical Compliance designates this activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits. Physicians should only claim this credit for their complete participation in this activity.
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Understanding the Signs and Symptoms
Furthermore, it’s important that healthcare providers are able to understand the notice the signs and symptoms associated with various mental health issues. Some of the symptoms include:
- Noticeable changes in mood, energy level, or appetite
- Feeling lifeless or struggling to experience happy feelings
- Having trouble focusing, being restless, or feeling anxious
- Misuse of drugs or alcohol
- Performing compulsive actions or thinking obsessively
Recognizing Mental Health Issues
Early-life mental illnesses are associated with a higher risk of dementia and dementia at a younger age, according to a study published in JAMA Psychiatry that was partially sponsored by NIA. After three decades of examining the medical records of 1.7 million New Zealanders, researchers discovered correlations between these illnesses and other psychiatric disorders as well as dementias of all kinds, including Alzheimer’s.
If these correlations hold, these results imply that early treatments for mental illnesses like anxiety or addictive behavior could enhance the mental well-being of younger persons while potentially lowering their chance of developing dementia in later life.
In addition, depression has been found in numerous studies to be a preventable risk factor for dementia. Less is understood, meanwhile, regarding the impact of additional mental illnesses on the risk of dementia, their early start, and any correlations with early-onset as opposed to later-onset dementia.
Preventing Behavioral Health Issues
Due to their high service utilization, baby boomers may see an increase in demand for non-pharmacological preventative. Psychotherapy has not received as much attention from researchers as treatment has, but some trials have shown encouraging outcomes. A few recent initiatives that primarily concentrate on problem-solving therapy (PST) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) are reviewed.
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