Depression Among Older Adults

Depression is one of the most recurrently investigated psychological disorders within the area of medical R&D (Montorio & Izal, 1996). A number of exhaustive researches have been carried out to study its symptoms and impacts on different patients belonging to different personal and professional attributes and most of these researchers depicted that depression in the elderly people is very frequent and in spite of number of researches in this context, it is often undiagnosed or untreated. To add to this jeopardy, it has also been estimated that only 10% out of the total depressed elderly individuals receive proper diagnosis and treatment (Holroyd et al, 2000). And for that reason, an authentic

It had been known that the elderly have an alcohol-abuse the use of alcohol in the elderly because they have retired or have few social contacts. It is also under unrecognized among older adults. Most elderly people stay alone at their house. I feel that their children or other family member should visit them every day. Elderly love company so that they can talk to somebody instead of look at TV all the time. I feel that drinking alcohol will affect your through process in many way. It can cause you not to be focus. It is very danger for a person to drug. They are not able to handle their problem. They will not want to talk to a counselor to help them. They feel that alcohol is the best way to deal with

Jensen, H. V., Munk, K. P., & Madsen, S. A. (2010). Gendering late-life depression? The coping process in a group of elderly men. Nordic Psychology, 62(2), 56-80. The purpose of this article. is to study the influences in the presentation of signs and symptoms of depression. This was done by observing the relationship between depressive symptoms in elderly men and analyzing by what means these men discuss, interpret, and the cope to stress. This study interviewed 8 elderly men, between the ages of sixty-six and eighty-nine, who were previously diagnosed with late-life depression. “The increase in suicide rates in older men poses a serious challenge in terms of better detection and diagnosis of depression, as the increase could suggest that there are a number of aging, depressive men who are not diagnosed and therefore remain untreated

Although substance abuse among the elderly, like alcohol is low considered compared to the general population, its prevalence is still high. A study showed the prevalence of alcohol related problems ranged from 1.4% to 22% (Adams, et al., 1993). It can be understood that the level of alcohol related problems diminishes as an individual ages.

Alcohol is the most abused licit psychoactive drugs that affect one 's ability to think rationally and distorts their judgement if consumed excessively. Alcohol addiction is an illness arising from prolonged and excessive intake of alcoholic drinks. An alcoholic is a person suffering from alcohol addiction. Prolonged excessive use of large quantities can eventually lead to chronic health diseases like cirrhosis of the liver, anaemia, cardiovascular disease, dementia, depression seizures, gout and alcohol related accidents and crime. Statistics show that 9 million people in England drink more than the recommended daily intake while an estimated 8.697 died of alcohol-related deaths in 2014. According to the WHO worldwide alcohol causes 1.8 million deaths (3.2% of total) and 58.3 million (4% of total) of Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs). Alcohol beverages with varied percentage content are consumed globally during religious, social, cultural events, festivals and other occasions. The use of alcoholic beverages has been an integral part of many cultures for thousands of years (McGovern, 2009). Over the centuries, there have been ongoing measures, research, interventions and policies which are aimed at promoting the moderate use of alcohol with a particular emphasis on preventing or reducing undesired outcomes. This essay will outline the key components of brief interventions in alcohol, the difference in approach with traditional methods of treatment and in conclusion, the

The adult consumption of alcohol, in moderation and in a responsible manner, is perfectly fine. Issues arise when the consumption of alcoholic beverages are done so in a way that is excessive, risky, done so as a coping mechanism, illegally, and done so in an irresponsible manner that could cause harm to other. The public’s health is the main concern of the health care field and to identify risks factors that affect our nation’s safety and health. Exposing what is causing health issues and finding

Therefore, with the multitude of Substance-Related Disorders (e.g., caffeine; cannabis; hallucinogens; inhalants; opioids; sedatives; hypnotics; and anxiolytics stimulants; tobacco and other substances) that need to be addressed within the older population, I have chosen to discuss the impact of Alcohol Abuse on the older population. Furthermore, I will address the following variables: prevalence and patterns of substance (e.g. Alcohol) exposure, and use and risk factors for addiction. In addition, I will address the following questions, 1 thru 4 posed in this assignment, beginning with the first question.

Many people, younger and older, suffer from different types of mental health disorders. Depression is one of the most common disorders that go untreated and mimics signs of dementia. Some doctors use tests such as the Patient Health Questionnaire, and for older people they use the Geriatric Depression scale assessment tool. Both tests are a great way to determine depression and are very useful in the medical field.

Problems stopping from alcohol consumption, including interactions of alcohol with prescribed and over-the-counter drugs, far outnumber any other substance abuse problem among older adults. Furthermore, many of the signs and symptoms of alcohol abuse among younger populations do not apply to older adults: older adults are no longer in the work force, have smaller social networks, and drive less. Even when there is the suspicion of a substance abuse disorder, the practitioner may have difficulty applying the diagnostic criteria to a wide variety of nonspecific symptoms. With a younger patient, serious physical problems can be more easily ruled out, leading quickly to a diagnosis of substance abuse in the presence of certain symptoms. With an older patient, health care providers are often in a quandary - symptoms such as fatigue, irritability, insomnia, chronic pain, or

Alcohol dependence is known to be the most severe form of alcohol abuse. A person becomes so dependent on alcohol consumption that he/she loses sight of all the other important things going on around him/her. Family matters and social responsibilities become secondary worries to his/her primary concern for existence, which is drinking (Stephens, 2007). Nearly fourteen million Americans are somewhat dependent on alcohol. Alcohol dependence is more prominent in men, and young adults ages 18-29 (Stephens, 2007). According to a study done by Saitz “85,000 deaths, along with substantial disability from medical and psychiatric consequences, injuries and “secondhand” effects (ex: motor vehicle crashes) are attributed to the use of alcohol” (Saitz, 2005).

4. Gordon A.J., Conigliaro, J., Maisto, S.A., McNeil, M., Kraemer, K.L., Kelley, M.E. (2003). “Comparison of consumption effects of brief interventions for hazardous drinking elderly. Substance Use and Misuse”, p.1017-1035.

Alcohol has many functions in society and bears important cultural, religious and symbolic meanings in most countries. However it is also a drug with many toxic effects and other dangers such as intoxication and dependence. It is a contributing element for injuries and harm, intentional and unintentional, not only to the individual drinker, but other people as well. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported figures from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey indicating that “more than half of the adult U.S. population drank alcohol in the past 30 days. Approximately, 5% of the total population drank heavily, while 15% of the population binge drank” (“Alcohol Use”). Alcohol, when

15.1 million adults aged 18 and over suffer from alcohol abuse in the United States. Alcohol abuse is the harmful use of alcohol, despite its negative consequences on the individual, such as interfering with daily activities. Although some studies show that moderate alcohol usage can benefit one’s health, it is commonly agreed that the negatives heavily outweigh the positives. About ten percent of children in the United States lives with a parent who abuses alcohol and about 88,000 people die yearly from alcohol poisoning in the United States. Therefore, alcohol abuse may have impacts on one’s family life and their physiological state.

Nowadays, drinking is a way to socialize, celebrate and relax wherein some people has a different way of handling the effect of alcohol. (NIAAA staff, 2014). Alcohol consumption has both good and bad benefits in the society. As one of the most used drugs here in New Zealand, we really can’t doubt its impact to economy and most especially to the people. While most enjoy and practice self-control, some have dependence on alcohol which affects their lives and their family. Aside from that another consequence of alcohol is the increasing report in hospital admissions, deaths, attacks and accidents. With variation pattern to age, gender, ethnicity, how much a person drink, how often a person drink, health status and family history, we cannot really deny about alcohol’s presence in our daily lives especially in homes, bars and in the workplace. According to a recent study of Health Promotion Agency, the percentage of New Zealander aging 15 years and above who consume alcohol in the previous year went down from 84% in 2006/07 to 80% in 2011/12 and has a potentially hazardous drinking pattern

The participant’s alcohol consumption was measured using the alcohol consumption subscale (AUDIT-C) section of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) which identifies hazardous or harmful alcohol consumption. The AUDIT-C contains 3 questions which assess the frequency and