Anxiety

Anxiety is a disorder that causes undue fear, worry, and dread over a situation. Almost 15% of senior adults suffer from clinical anxiety that affects their daily lives. While nearly 30% of senior adults suffer without a diagnosis. The most common types of anxiety disorders seniors suffer from are:

Panic Disorder

Panic attacks are sudden feelings of fear that happen without warning. The physical symptoms of panic attacks are:

• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Racing heart
• Dizziness
• Fear of dying.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is an uncontrollable need to do something repeatedly. More than 2 million people suffer from OCD. Some rituals of OCD are:

• Repeatedly washing hands
• Having the same thoughts over and over
• Obsessive counting
• Repeated thoughts of violence
• Perfectionism

Elderly individuals who suffer from OCD do not like their behavior and, at times, can be ashamed, but doing so relieves anxiety. If OCD develops later in life, the person should be seen by a medical professional to rule out dementia or Alzheimer’s.

Phobia

A phobia is a disabling and irrational fear of something that isn’t dangerous. These fears prevent an older adult from living their life to the fullest. Common phobias include:

• Agoraphobia – fear of open spaces and big crowds
• Social phobia – social anxiety disorder
• Acrophobia – fear of heights
• Claustrophobia – fear of small spaces
• Arachnophobia – fear of spiders

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized anxiety disorder is a chronic and exaggerated worry about every aspect of life. An older adult suffering from this disorder spends their day worrying about the what-ifs. Physical symptoms are:

• Fatigue
• Headache
• Nausea
• Muscle tension
• Tremors

Depression

Depression is the most common mental health issue among seniors. It is more than feeling sad for a day or two. Depression is a serious issue that, if not addressed, right away can lead to serious problems. Some people, especially the older generation, see it as a sign of weakness or that something is wrong with them, so they hide the way they are feeling.

It can be challenging to identify the signs of mental illness in adults. The symptoms of depression in seniors are different than in the younger generation. Depression may come off as tired or irritable. Depression can cause confusion or trouble paying attention, and that can cause worry over Alzheimer’s. So many health issues that seniors may be dealing with have depression as a side effect.

Medical conditions that can result in depression:

• Multiple Sclerosis
• Cancer
• Stroke
• Diabetes
• Lupus
• Dementia and Alzheimer’s
• Parkinson’s disease

There are also multiple medications that seniors take that have depression as a side effect. If signs of depression develop when taking medication, it is imperative to call your doctor right away.

There are many types of depression. The two most common types seen in seniors are major depression and persistent depressive disorder.

Major depression is also known as clinical depression. To meet the criteria for this diagnosis, a person must meet five or more of the following criteria.

• A consistent feeling of sadness almost every day all-day
• Difficulty concentrating
• Changes in weight
• Trouble sleeping or staying awake
• Loss of interest in fun things
• Feeling worthless or guilty
• Having suicidal thoughts

Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD)

Persistent depressive disorder is a chronic form of depression. This type of depression can last for many years and have crippling effects on every aspect of life. Seniors who suffer from this type of depression have a hard time finding happiness in the most joyous of times. A person may get a break from feeling like this, but it is never for more than a month or two. It is possible to suffer from major depression at the same time as a persistent depressive disorder, and it is called double depression.

Other types of depression include seasonal affective disorder, psychotic depression, and situational depression.

Situational Depression

Situational depression is depression caused by an event that turns life upside down. Situational depression can occur in older people when they lose their life-partner. Older women especially can suffer from situational depression when they lose their husbands. The fear of who is going to take care of me, and how am I going to live can cause life-threatening depression.

Symptoms of situational depression include:

• Feeling overwhelmed
• Constant crying
• Extreme sadness
• Sleeping all the time
• No desire to do anything
• Neglecting self-care
• Not eating
• Anxiety
• Hopelessness

It is so important for friends and family to spend time with seniors who have lost their life-partner. Not only do they need company, but interacting with a person makes it harder for them to hide depression. If signs and symptoms of depression start appearing, it is crucial to get a therapist involved.

Dissociative Disorders

Dissociative disorders can severely disrupt everyday life. Problems with memory, emotions, identity, and behavior could be a mental disorder or could be a symptom of a more serious medical issue. The symptoms of dissociative identity disorder (DDD) are described as a disconnection from who you are or amnesia.

Three types of dissociative disorders:

• Dissociative identity disorder
• Dissociative amnesia
• Depersonalization disorder

Dissociative identity disorder is also known as multiple personality disorder. This disorder is associated with a traumatic event or overwhelming experience. The symptoms of the dissociative disorder include:

• More than one personality that has their behaviors, thoughts, and emotions
• Having gaps in memory daily
• Unable to function in social and work environments because of symptoms

It is estimated that nearly 10 percent of the elderly population suffers from personality disorders. And with the elderly age group growing, the numbers are expected to keep rising. Getting an elderly loved one into treatment as soon as these signs appear is crucial.

Thoughts of suicide are very high in the elderly with dissociative disorders. Suicidal thoughts or attempts are sometimes the first sign that an individual is suffering from this disorder.

Dissociative Amnesia

Dissociative amnesia is when a person cannot remember personal information. This type of forgetfulness is not normal. Dissociative amnesia is caused by a traumatic event or stressful situation. In older adults, this can happen after the loss of a loved one. Or because of something terrible that happened to them in the past. Amnesia can be:

• Localized – the inability to remember specific events or periods
• Selective – forgetting only parts of events or period
• Generalized – Forgetting who you are, where you went, and not recalling thoughts, emotions, or behaviors
• Systematized amnesia – forgetting a person or a specific subject
• Continuous amnesia – forgetting new events as they happen

Depersonalization Disorder

Depersonalization disorder is the repeated feeling that you are outside of your body or feeling like your environment isn’t real. It can make a person feel like they are living in a dream. Seniors can be vulnerable to depersonalization disorder due to the fears and stresses of getting older. A senior who lives alone and does not have family around may not get help when the symptoms first start.

Symptoms include:

• Feeling no control over speech and movements
• Senses are numb
• Feeling like your thoughts and memories are not your own
• The feeling of floating above your body
• Emotionally disconnected
• No perception of time
• Surroundings are not familiar, distorted

Most people do not even know amnesia is happening. Awareness only happens when talking with others. An older individual may seem confused, distressed, or they may not even know something is wrong. Some individuals have reported flashbacks of events that happened during the amnesia. Suicidal behaviors may increase when amnesia suddenly stops. The realization that you had no control throughout your life and the events that occurred during the amnesia may be too much to handle.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental condition that occurs after a traumatic experience. PTSD can affect an individual’s well-being, mentally and physically. An older individual may have experienced an event that was traumatic at a younger age, but symptoms of PTSD don’t appear till they are older. PTSD has three main symptoms:

• Avoidance and emotional numbness: complete withdrawal from anything involving the traumatic event
• Increased arousal: easy to anger and irritate, feeling jumpy, lack of concentration and sleep problems
• Re-experiencing trauma: realistic flashbacks that cause extreme distress, nightmares

Older adults are at a higher risk of having symptoms of PTSD. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), “role changes and functional losses could make coping with memories of earlier trauma more challenging” for older adults. The following are some stressors that can increase the chances of PTSD.

• Retirement
• Reduced income
• Loss of a loved one
• Lack of support
• Cognitive impairment
• Behavioral impairment

As people get older, it becomes more challenging to self-medicate to deal with PTSD. As people age, their children or other family members may begin to monitor medications or help set up their medicine doses. When an older adult has a hard time adjusting to the changes in life, they may begin to exhibit unusual behaviors.

Recognizing Mental Health Signs and Symptoms

Due to underlying factors, mental illness is often unrecognized or misdiagnosed. There are symptoms that mimic signs of mental and physical medical problems. The doctors may look for a health reason and not get to the root of the issue, which is the mental health condition.

Some signs of mental disorders include:

• Depression
• Memory issues
• Eating changes
• Unexplained pain
• Isolation
• Lack of self-care
• No interest in fun activities

When an individual suffers from mental disorders, there can be more than one that occurs simultaneously. Medical and mental health doctors and therapists work together to design a mental health treatment plan tailored to fit each individual’s unique needs. The focus of treatment will be learning about your condition, specifically, your moods, feelings, thoughts, and behavior.

Psychotherapy and medication help people learn to identify, repair, cope with, and prevent the issues at hand. Rebuilding a happy and mentally healthy life is the main goal.