Is there an "age limit" for taking care of our mental health?

By Fernanda Bassette, from the Einstein Agency - Depression may be more associated with young people, but the elderly also stand out in the ranking of those affected by the disease. According to data from the latest National Health Survey, conducted in 2019 by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), at least 13% of seniors between 60 and 64 years old have depression.  

In long-term care facilities and among hospitalized elderly people, rates of mental disorders can be more significant, reaching 40%, according to Rita Cecília Reis Ferreira, a psychiatrist at the Elderly Program of the Institute of Psychiatry at the University of São Paulo (USP). 

Taking care of one's mental health has no age limit, and the changes that accompany life after 60 can be addressed more easily with the guidance of a professional. “It’s never too late to take care of mental health, whether you’re young or old. It’s very difficult to separate physical health from mental health; the two go hand in hand. You have mental health when you can be well with yourself and with others, even within your limitations,” explains the psychiatrist. 

Depression is more common

Among the elderly, the most commonly diagnosed mental disorders, according to Ferreira, are: 

• Depression;
• Anxiety;
• Chemical dependency;
• Schizophrenia;
• Eating disorders.

Among the main causes are family abandonment, feelings of uselessness due to the interruption of previously performed activities, post-traumatic anxiety or anxiety following the loss of a child, and dementia.

Some warning signs should raise concern, such as changes in behavior (loss of appetite, for example), constant and persistent sadness, prolonged grief, irregular sleep patterns, and a lack of motivation to perform activities that were previously enjoyable. Cognitive changes such as lack of concentration, memory loss, and difficulty reasoning should also be taken into consideration. 

“Being healthy doesn't mean the absence of disease. Being healthy also means having your illness under control. And any illness, whether mental or not, brings suffering. Psychotherapy will minimize this suffering and improve the person's quality of life,” says the specialist. The sooner an elderly person seeks help from psychologists and psychiatrists, the better the chances of controlling or even achieving remission of the condition.

“Even if the elderly person already has an established illness, it is necessary to seek help. In cases of more serious disorders, such as dementia, for example, the sooner the person seeks help, the greater the possibility of slowing the progression of the problem and even stabilizing it,” says Ferreira, who also coordinates the Art Therapy group of the Third Age Program at IPq/USP – where he currently attends to around 600 elderly people with mental disorders.

Prejudice

According to the psychiatrist, there is still a lot of prejudice from society and from the individual themselves when it comes to mental illness, especially among older people. "Older adults accept hypertension and diabetes, but they don't accept depression. Often they prefer to say that the symptoms are normal due to aging instead of seeking help," the doctor points out. 

For her, one of the biggest challenges for doctors is to demystify mental illness so that people don't feel ashamed or afraid to seek help. "Old age is not an illness, and nobody needs to suffer."

One of the psychiatrist's tips for preventing symptoms of depression is to maintain cognitive stimulation with activities that bring pleasure, such as reading a book, painting, embroidery, doing crossword puzzles, playing cards, listening to music, or learning a language. "It's important that it's an enjoyable activity for the person. There's no point in asking an elderly person to play cards if they don't like cards," she adds.

Subscribe to 247, Support via Pix, Subscribe to TV 247, in the channel Cuts 247 and watch: