Mental Health Issue Among

Elderly in India

DR. MEENA GUPTA

PhD Biomedical Engineering
meenaguptaphysio@gmail.com
 Mental Health
• Mental health is a state of well-being in which the
individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope
with the normal stresses of life, can work
productively and is able to make contribution to his
or her community.
• According to WHO estimates, globally over 450
million people suffer from mental disorders.

Elder abuse prevalence in community settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Yon Y, Mikton CR, Gassoumis ZD, Wilber KH. Lancet Glob Health. 2017
Feb;5(2):e147-e156.
 Burden of Mental Disorders
• 5.8% among the Indian population have mental disorder.
• Male have high risk of mental disorder as compare with
female.
• Depression, substance abuse and panic disorder are the
common cause of Mental disorder.
• The prevalence of mental disorders was reported to be as high
as 26.7 percent by a study in elderly with predominant
depressive disorders, dementia, generalized anxiety disorder,
alcohol dependence and bipolar disorder
 Causes for Mental Disorders
• Physical disability.
• Long-term illness such as heart disease or cancer.
• Dementia-causing illness such as Alzheimer’s disease.
• Physical illnesses that can affect thought, memory, and
emotion such as thyroid or adrenal disease.
• Change of environment, like moving into assisted
living.
• Illness or loss of partner of close family member.
• Medication interactions.
• Alcohol or substance abuse.
• Poor diet or undernourishment.
Problems seen in elderly during
mental health issue

Source :- http://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/anxietyfreemethod/ZWNkZ-elderly-mental-health-issues.html
 Type of mental health problems in
elderly people
• Dementia
• Schizophrenia
• Obsessive compulsive disorder
• Parkinson's disease
• Depression
• Anxiety disorders
• Bipolar disorder
• Stress
• Eating disorder
• Panic disorder
 Symptoms of Mental Disorders
• Sad or miserable mood lasting longer than two weeks.
• Social withdrawal, loss of interest in things that used to be pleasurable.
• Unexplained fatigue, energy loss, or sleep alterations.
• Confusion, disorientation, problems with concentration or decision-making.
• Increase or decrease in hunger, changes in weight.
• Memory loss, especially recent or short-term memory problems.
• Feelings of insignificance, inappropriate guilt, powerlessness, feeling of
suicide.
• Physical problems that cannot otherwise be explained like aches,
constipation.
• Changes in appearance or dress, or problems maintaining the home or yard.
• Difficulty to manage finances or working with numbers.
Statistical data of Suicidal attempt due
to mental illness in age specific groups

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-27/elderly-men-three-times-more-likely-to-die-by-suicide/5349116
Statistical data of Suicidal attempt in
old age due to mental illness

https://mws.sg/index.php/blog/goodbye-lonely-years/2015/11
Statistical data of elderly living alone
due to mental health issue

https://mws.sg/blog/goodbye-lonely-years
 Learning to Cope
• Individual Therapy :- One-on-one meetings help monitor
symptoms and measure results.
• Group Therapy:- Small groups of seniors with similar issues meet
with a therapist for a guided, relevant discussion.
• Family Education and Support:-No one is an island. By helping
family and caregivers understand the therapeutic approach to the
senior’s issues, faster healing can take place.
• Family Therapy:- The individual and family members meet with a
therapist as a group to work on the relationships unique to that
family unit.
• Pharmacotherapy:- New medications can often improve mental
health.
• ECT:- Sometimes severe depression is treated by a modern,
effective method called electroconvulsive therapy or “ECT.”
 Mental Wellness
• Death and loss of family, friends and loved ones
• Symptoms of depression, such as changes in mood,
appetite, sleep patterns, loss of interest in activity
they once enjoyed, lack of energy, and death wish
• Anxiety, fears, worries
• Relationship and family problems
• Loneliness and feelings of isolation
• Difficulty remembering
• Stress and difficulty with changes
• Physical health problems
 Issue and Challenges of Mental
Disorder
• Deprivation and poverty.
• Low household income.
• Lack of access to basic amenities
• Unemployment
• Changes in mood
• Changes in the way you perceive things
• Obsessions
• Fears
• Feelings of anxiety
 National health policy in India

Vision to promote mental health, prevent mental illness, enable

recovery from mental illness, promote de-stigmatization and
desegregation and ensure socio-economic inclusion of persons
affected by mental illness by providing accessible, affordable and
quality health and social care to all persons through their life-
span, within a right –based framework.

New pathway new hope, national mental health policy of India, Ministry of health and family welfare, Government of India, oct 2014
 Values and principles
• Equity
• Justice
• Integrated care
• Evidence based care
• Quality
• Participatory and rights based approach
• Value base in all training and teaching programs
• Holistic approach to mental health
 Objectives of the National Health
Policy
• To provide universal access to mental health care.
• To increase access to and utilization of comprehensive
mental health service.
• To reduce risk and incidence of suicide and attempted
suicide.
• To ensure respect for rights and protection from harm of
person with mental health problem.
• To reduce stigma associated with mental health problems.
• To progressively enhance financial allocation and
improve utilization for mental health promotion and care.
 Cross cutting issue related with
mental health
• Social stigma
• Rights-based approach
• Vulnerable populations
• Poverty
• Homelessness
• Persons inside custodial institutions
• Orphaned persons with mental illness
 Voluntary mental health care
agencies in India
• Indian red cross society
• Helpage India
• Hind kusht nivaran sangh
• Bharat sevak samaj
• Central social welfare board
 References
 http://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/anxietyfreemethod/ZWNkZ-elderly-
mental-health-issues.html
 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-27/elderly-men-three-times-more-likely-
to-die-by-suicide/5349116
 https://mws.sg/blog/goodbye-lonely-years
 https://mws.sg/index.php/blog/goodbye-lonely-years/2015/11
 New pathway new hope, national mental health policy of India, Ministry of
health and family welfare, Government of India, Oct. 2014
 Elder abuse prevalence in community settings: a systematic review and meta-
analysis.
 Yon Y, Mikton CR, Gassoumis ZD, Wilber KH. Lancet Glob Health. 2017
Feb;5(2):e147-e156.
 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28104184
 The mortality of elder mistreatment. Lachs MS, Williams CS, O'Brien S,
Pillemer KA, Charlson ME. JAMA. 1998 Aug 5;280(5):428-32.