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Psychological problems are much less prevalent in older people than in the general population. Additionally, they have demonstrated the least anxiety and depression during the pandemic, despite being most susceptible.
It has been suggested that elderly people have higher resilience because of their ability to regulate emotions, a greater acceptance of their ups and downs in life, and a wider perspective gained through life experience.
However, mental health can be negatively affected by many of the challenges that come with aging.
76-year-old Nancy Landrum, of Murrieta, California, was always active. In spite of losing her second husband to cancer, she provided relationship coaching, gardening, walking her dogs, hiking, and fixing her house. However, when Landrum’s left knee became increasingly painful, so that eventually she could barely walk, she became discouraged and depressed.
It is true that many older people suffer from significant mental health problems. Among those who live outside group settings, depressive symptoms account for 8 to 16 percent of clinically significant symptoms, and anxiety disorders for 10 to 15 percent. Nursing homes have worse outcomes for the elderly. In most cases, depression and anxiety among older adults are not treated.
As a result of late life depression, researchers have found that self-neglect, cardiovascular problems, morbidity, and suicide are increased. Moreover, it compromises the quality of life and decreases social and cognitive functioning. Additionally, geriatric anxiety is linked to heart disease, high blood pressure, and other ailments.
Geriatric depression and anxiety seem to be associated with a number of risk factors.
Mental health problems, especially depression, are more likely to affect the elderly who suffer from physical ailments, cognitive decline, loneliness, or have experienced multiple losses. Similarly, older people who regret a life unlived and struggle to find meaning in their lives also struggle to find meaning in their lives.
When people are nearing the end of their lives, they become increasingly concerned about existential matters.
They contemplate questions such as “Have I lived a meaningful life? “What have I contributed to the world? ” or “Will I leave a legacy?” Considering, exploring, and talking about these questions affects emotional wellbeing.
These four approaches enable psychologists like me to facilitate these explorations and, therefore, improve mental health.
Take a look back at your life
As people age, they reminisce more about past events, sometimes incredibly long ago. Looking back has a psychological purpose.
A famous psychologist from the 20th century, Erik Erikson, believed that the end of life is about reflecting on life, integrating positive and negative memories, and coming up with a coherent sense of purpose. His hypothesis was that people who struggled particularly hard might end up depressed.
“Working with older patients, I often ask them, ‘What has it all been about?’” says Dr. Herbert Rappaport who is a clinical psychologist living in the Philadelphia area. He is also the author of “Marking Time.” The feeling of helping people construct their life stories and watching them accept whatever comes next is very powerful.
Mental health can be improved by life reviews, according to research.
But depression makes it difficult to remember positive events or reflect on one’s life in a manner that is not negative or self-critical. Additionally, they tend to remember things less precisely and in a more generalized way.
It is important to intentionally recall as much concrete and sensory information as possible about positive situations and times in your life in order to counteract this tendency.
Jason M. Holland, a clinical psychologist in Gallatin, Tenn., worked with an older woman worried about her daughter’s future, and she wondered if she had done anything to help the next generation. Seeing her life in totality and writing about these feelings helped her realize that it isn’t all bad and that she will leave an important legacy for her grandchildren.
The process of writing or recording an autobiography, creating scrapbooks, making art that honors your life, researching your family history, doing oral history interviews, arranging old photographs, or creating legacy projects are all ways to review your life.
Identify sources of meaning
Self-help and popular psychology often emphasize finding or creating meaning in life. In “Meaning in Life: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Practitioners”, psychologist Joel Vos writes, “I fear this will only add more burden to people, that this will become another reason for them to feel ashamed and guilty.”
Instead, he said, people should engage in meaningful activities they already do.
During the pandemic, I’ve observed that many people have gained more clarity about what matters most in their lives. It often involves connecting with others, the past, the future, God, or spiritual concepts, or with nature. The act of creating something in the world can also be a source of transcendence, whether it’s a lovingly tended garden, a painting, or a nonprofit organization.
“There is no time like the present to get oriented towards what is meaningful for you. My 90 years are a living example”, said Irvin Yalom, emeritus professor of psychiatry at Stanford University and the author of “Staring at the Sun.”
Embrace limitations
Acceptance is commonly viewed as passive resignation or giving up. In reality, it means facing limitations as we age, and using courage and wisdom to deal with them.
In addition to physical and cognitive limitations, older adults often feel their freedom has been taken from them, and they are no longer able to control their lives. “There is nothing more demoralizing than losing control. You should adjust your expectations and look for anything you can control, no matter how small,” Holland said.
It is even possible to grow from the hardships associated with old age. When you’re sick, grieving, or experience another negative change, you may come to an important realization. The reevaluation of life and alignment of your values is possible after undergoing a significant transition or change, according to Rappaport.
Managing death anxiety
There are at least 750,000 Coronavirus deaths in the United States, making this the most acute and immediate death toll in recent history. Despite this, many people still avoid news that can trigger death anxiety, making it difficult to talk about death and dying.
Another topic often avoided is discussing one’s will and end-of-life preferences. When you deal with this now, you will feel more in control and you will be less afraid of death. The ones you leave behind will also benefit from it.
It is one of my favorite exercises to have patients imagine their funeral and write their own eulogy and tombstone inscription, which is derived from Acceptance and Commitment therapy, a type of therapy that helps people live with purpose and to stop being trapped by anxiety and depression. Despite sounding ghoulish, this approach not only reduces death anxiety, but also crystallizes people’s values and urges them to act on them before it’s too late.
“The best antidote to death anxiety is life well lived,” Yalom said.
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