Psihičke smetnje u starijoj životnoj dobi

• Post by: Psyche General
• 23.07.2024.
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Sažetak

Zbog napretka medicine i smanjenja nataliteta udio osoba starije životne dobi u populaciji u stalnom je porastu. Psihičke smetnje narušavaju samostalnost, tjelesno zdravlje te kvalitetu života i funkcioniranje općenito. No psihičke se smetnje starijih često podcjenjuju i olako shvaćaju zbog predrasuda i neznanja o starenju te normativnim i patološkim promjenama koje ono nosi. Znakovi narušenog mentalnog zdravlja starijih ponekad se zanemaruju zbog pripisivanja simptoma somatskim bolestima, kao i zbog krivog vjerovanja da je stavove i obrasce mišljenja i osjećaja starijih nemoguće promijeniti jer su se kroz godine ustalili. Psihičke se smetnje kod osoba starije životne dobi također ponekad drugačije manifestiraju nego kod mladih pa je svrha ovoga rada pružiti pregled nekih smetnji prisutnih kod starije populacije. Opisani su neurokognitvni poremećaji delirij i demencija koji su najčešći uzročnici kognitivnih smetnji starijih te čiji simptomi mogu biti slični simptomima psihičkih poremećaja zbog čega se ponekad krivo dijagnosticiraju. Također su opisani i depresija, sumanuti poremećaj, generalizirani anksiozni poremećaj, poremećaji u svezi sa psihoaktivnim tvarima i fobični poremećaji.

Ključne riječi: delirij, psihologija starenja, subklinička depresija, sumanuti paranoidni
poremećaj, zlouporaba lijekova

Abstract

Due to improved healthcare, advances in medicine, and declining birth rates, the proportion of the elderly population is constantly increasing. Mental disorders impair independence, physical health, quality of life and overall functioning. However, mental health problems of the elderly are often underestimated and not taken seriously due to prejudices and lack of knowledge about aging and the normative and pathological changes it brings. Signs of impaired mental health in older adults are sometimes overlooked or ignored, as symptoms are attributed to somatic illnesses. There is also a false belief that the attitudes, thought patterns, and feelings of older individuals are impossible to change because they have become firmly established and solidified over the years. Mental disorders in the elderly can also often manifest differently than in younger individuals, so the aim of this paper is to provide an overview of some disorders present in the older population. The neurocognitive disorders delirium and dementia, which are the most common causes of cognitive impairments in the elderly, are described. Additionally, depression, delusional disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, phobic disorders, substance related and addictive disorders are also discussed.

Key words: delirium, delusional disorder, gerontopsychology, prescription and OTC drug
abuse, sub-threshold depression