Thursday, October 10, 2013

Mental health and older adults

Image source - http://www.pmha.org.ph/

As my way of joining the 3rd Annual World Mental Health Day Blog Party I am re-posting here information gathered from the World Health Organization (WHO) website. The theme for this year is Mental health and older adults.

My mom and dad belong to this category as older adults,  both are more than 60 years old or senior citizens. Their bodies are showing sign of old age, mom with her osteoporosis have tendency to hunch  her back, my dad eye sight is getting poorer. Although both are still active physically and not showing decline in their mental health except for some forgetfulness, mostly where they leave things  like eyeglass,tools, documents and other stuff.

Much of their time is consumed with daily household chores and farm work. I just hope that they have other activities to stimulate and exercise their mental faculties so that they will not deteriorate with their mental health. But I guess their active life and rigor of rural life would suffice for the lack of it. And with a close-knit family and several grandchildren that regularly visits them and make them happy they will not experience these mental ailments that are common in their age.

The source for the WHO post below  is - http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs381/en/


Mental health and older adults

Fact sheet N°381
September 2013

Key facts

  • Globally, the population is ageing rapidly. It is projected that the number of persons aged 60 or over is expected to more than triple by 2100.
  • Mental health and emotional well-being are as important in older age as at any other time of life.
  • Neuropsychiatric disorders among the older adults account for 6.6% of the total disability (DALYs) for this age group.1
  • Approximately 15% of adults aged 60 and over suffer from a mental disorder.1

Older adults, those aged 60 or above, make important contributions to society as family members, volunteers and as active participants in the workforce. While most have good mental health, many older adults are at risk of developing mental disorders, neurological disorders or substance use problems as well as physical illness or disability.

The problem

The world’s population is ageing rapidly. Between 2000 and 2050, the proportion of the world's older adults is estimated to double from about 11% to 22%. In absolute terms, this is an expected increase from 605 million to 2 billion people over the age of 60. Older people face special physical and mental health challenges which need to be recognized.
Over 20% of adults aged 60 and over suffer from a mental or neurological disorder (excluding headache disorders) and 6.6% of all disability (disability adjusted life years-DALYs) among over 60s is attributed to neurological and mental disorders.The most common neuropsychiatric disorders in this age group are dementia and depression. Anxiety disorders affect 3.8% of the elderly population, substance use problems affect almost 1% and around a quarter of deaths from self-harm are among those aged 60 or above.1 Substance abuse problems among the elderly are often overlooked or misdiagnosed.
Mental health problems are under-identified by health-care professionals and older people themselves, and the stigma surrounding mental illness makes people reluctant to seek help.

Risk factors for mental health problems among the older adults

Multiple social, psychological, and biological factors determine the level of mental health of a person at any point of time. As well as the typical life stressors common to all people, many older adults lose their ability to live independently because of limited mobility, chronic pain, frailty or other mental or physical problems, and require some form of long-term care. In addition, older people are more likely to experience events such as bereavement, a drop in socioeconomic status with retirement, or a disability. All of these factors can result in isolation, loss of independence, loneliness and psychological distress in older people.
Mental health has an impact on physical health and vice versa. For example, older adults with physical health conditions such as heart disease have higher rates of depression than those who are medically well. Conversely, untreated depression in an older person with heart disease can negatively affect the outcome of the physical disease.
Older adults are also vulnerable to physical neglect and maltreatment. Elder maltreatment can lead not only to physical injuries; but also to serious, sometimes long-lasting psychological consequences, including depression and anxiety.

Dementia and depression among the elderly as public health issues

Dementia
Dementia is a syndrome in which there is deterioration in memory, thinking, behaviour and the ability to perform everyday activities. It mainly affects older people, although it is not a normal part of ageing.
It is estimated that 35.6 million people worldwide are living with dementia. The total number of people with dementia is projected to almost double every 20 years, to 65.7 million in 2030 and 115.4 million in 2050, with majority of sufferers living in low- and middle-income countries.
There are significant social and economic issues in terms of the direct costs of medical, social and informal care associated with dementia. Moreover, physical, emotional and economic pressures can cause great stress to families. Support is needed from the health, social, financial and legal systems for both people with dementia and their caregivers.
Depression
Depression can cause great suffering and leads to impaired functioning in daily life. Unipolar depression occurs in 7% of the general elderly population and it accounts for 1.6% of total disability (DALYs) among over 60 year olds.1 Depression is both under diagnosed and undertreated in primary care settings. Symptoms of depression in older adults are often overlooked and untreated because they coincide with other late life problems.
Older adults with depressive symptoms have poorer functioning compared to those with chronic medical conditions such as lung disease, hypertension or diabetes. Depression also increases the perception of poor health, the utilization of medical services and health care costs.

Treatment and care strategies

It is important to prepare health providers and societies to meet the specific needs of older populations, including:
  • training for health professionals in old-age care;
  • preventing and managing age-associated chronic diseases including mental, neurological and substance use disorders;
  • designing sustainable policies on long-term and palliative care; and
  • developing age-friendly services and settings.
Health promotion

Mental health of older adults can be improved through promoting active and healthy ageing. Mental health-specific health promotion for the older adults involves creating living conditions and environments that support wellbeing and allow people to lead healthy and integrated lifestyles. Promoting mental health depends largely on strategies which ensure the elderly have the necessary resources to meet their basic needs, such as:
  • providing security and freedom;
  • adequate housing through supportive housing policy;
  • social support for elderly populations and their caregivers;
  • health and social programmes targeted at vulnerable groups such as those who live alone, rural populations or who suffer from a chronic or relapsing mental or physical illness;
  • violence or older adults maltreatment prevention programmes; and
  • community development programmes.
Interventions

Prompt recognition and treatment of mental, neurological and substance use disorders in older adults is essential. Both psychosocial interventions and medicines are recommended.
There is no medication currently available to cure dementia but much can be done to support and improve the lives of people with dementia and their caregivers and families, such as:
  • early diagnosis, in order to promote early and optimal management;
  • optimizing physical and psychological health, including identifying and treating; accompanying physical illness, increasing physical and cognitive activity and optimizing well-being;
  • detecting and managing challenging behavioural and psychological symptoms;
  • providing information and long-term support to caregivers.
Mental health care in the community

Good general health and social care is important for promoting older people's health, preventing disease and managing chronic illnesses. Training all health providers in working with issues and disorders related to ageing is therefore important. Effective, community-level primary mental health care for older people is crucial. It is equally important to focus on the long-term care of older adults suffering from mental disorders, as well as to provide caregivers with education, training and support.
An appropriate and supportive legislative environment based on internationally accepted human rights standards is required to ensure the highest quality of services to people with mental illness and their caregivers.

WHO response


WHO’s programmes for active and healthy ageing have created a global framework for action at the country level.
WHO supports governments in the goal of strengthening and promoting mental health in older adults and to integrate the effective strategies into policies and plans.
WHO recognizes dementia as a public health priority. The WHO report "Dementia: a public health priority", published in 2012, aims to provide information and raise awareness about dementia. It also aims to strengthen public and private efforts to improve care and support for people with dementia and for their caregivers.
Dementia, along with depression and other priority mental disorders are included in the WHO Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP). This programme aims to improve care for mental, neurological and substance use disorders through providing guidance and tools to develop health services in resource poor areas.


Source link - http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs381/en/

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

CHED Course Specification on Personality

CHED Course Specification on Personality
Refer to CHED Memorandum Order 38 Series of 2010 -
http://www.ched.gov.ph/chedwww/index.php/eng/content/download/1744/9056/file/CMO_38_s2010.pdf



If you are reviewing and planning to take the Psychometrician Licensure Exam the following course content on Theories of Personality are suggested for you not to miss per CHED Memo Order 38 Series of 2010:


Course Description

A survey of the major theories of personality and the theoretical and practical issues involved in the scientiffic study and understanding of personality formation and dynamics.


Course Content

1) The study of personality: theory and research

2) Psychoanalytic theory - Sigmund Freud                                                                  

3) Neopsychoanalytic theories
a) Carl Jung
b) Alfred Adler
c) Karen Horney
d) Henry Murray

4) Life-span theory - Erik Erikson

5) Trait theories
a) Gordon Allport
b) Raymond Cattell
c) Hans Eysenck

6) Humanistic theories
a) Abraham Maslow
b) Carl Rogers

7) Cognitive Theory - George Kelly

8) Behavioral Theory - B.F. Skinner

9) Social Learning Theory - Albert Bandura

Below are links of   references/textbook materials I am using. What are your reference materials/texbooks?

http://psychometricpinas.blogspot.com/2013/08/textbook-on-personality-by-limpingco.html

http://psychometricpinas.blogspot.com/2013/07/theories-of-personality-reference.html


Tuesday, October 8, 2013

CHED Course Specification on Psychological Assessment

Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Course Specification on Psychological Assessment
Refer to CHED Memorandum Order 38 Series of 2010 -
http://www.ched.gov.ph/chedwww/index.php/eng/content/download/1744/9056/file/CMO_38_s2010.pdf




Course Description

Orientation into the rudiments of psychological testing. The principles, methods and uses of
psychological testing are tackled. Emphasis is placed on issues of item analysis, reliability, and 
validity in test construction. The administration, scoring, and interpretation of objective, cognitive,
and affective tests used in various applied fields of psychology, particularly the educational,
industrial, and government settings are covered. Ethical considerations as well as current trends and issues in psychological testing in the Philippines settings are discussed.


For those reviewing and planning to take the Psychometrician Licensure Exam the following course content should be covered as per CHED Memo Order 38 Series of 2010:

1) Statistical Foundations - Reliability, Validity

2) Test Construction - Item analysis, Norms                                                                     

3) Administration, scoring, and interpretation - Intelligence tests, aptitude tests, objective personality tests

4) Applications of psychological testing - educational setting, industrial setting, government setting

5) Ethics of psychological testing

The link below is a reference/textbook material I am using. What are your reference materials/texbooks?

Monday, October 7, 2013

CHED Course Specification on Abnormal Psychology

Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Course Specification on Abnormal Psychology
Refer to this link for the CHED Memo Order 38 Series of 2010 -
http://www.ched.gov.ph/chedwww/index.php/eng/content/download/1744/9056/file/CMO_38_s2010.pdf



Course Description

An introduction to the nature, causes and possible interventions of psychological
disorders. The students are expected to be familiar with the nomenclature and
classifications of mental disorders, by the end of the course. Indigenous concepts
of abnormality and abnormal behavior will also be discussed. Ethical considerations
in abnormal psychology/clinical psychology are discussed.

For those reviewing and planning to take the Psychometrician Licensure Exam the following course content should be covered since these are CHED suggested course content:

1) Definitions of Normality and Abnormality

2) Some Abnormal Behaviors (including indigenous forms)                                                                    
a) Disorders usually first diagnosed in infancy, childhood or adolescence                                        
b) Cognitive Disorders                                                                                                                  
c) Substance-related Disorders                                                                                                        
d) Schizophrenia and other Psychotic Disorders                                                                                
e) Mood Disorders                                                                                                                          
f) Anxiety Disorders                                                                                                                        
g) Dissociative Disorders                                                                                                                  
h) Personality Disorders

3) Diagnosis using DSM-IV TR (Axis I to V - with the recently published DSM 5 it would be good to familiarize on the updated version of this categories)

4) Alternative Approaches to Diagnosis (ICD-10)

5) Therapeutic Interventions and Related Issues

Check my blog posts here for reference/textbook materials. What are your reference materials/texbooks?


Friday, October 4, 2013

CHED Course Specification on Industrial Psychology

CHED Course Specification on Industrial Psychology
Refer to this link for the CHED Memo Order 38 Series of 2010
http://www.ched.gov.ph/chedwww/index.php/eng/content/download/1744/9056/file/CMO_38_s2010.pdf



Course Description

A course providing an overview of psychological concepts, theories and research findings for
effective human interactions and performance in the workplace. Topics include organizational structures and systems, organizational communication processes, leadership, motivation, conflict resolution, problem solving ad decision making, team dynamics, efforts in human resource development and management, and organizational change and development.

For those reviewing and planning to take the Psychometrician Licensure Exam the course content above that covers:
  • History and development of Industrial-Organizational Psychology (perhaps both West and Philippine context)
  • Organizational structures and systems
  • Team dynamics
  • Human resource development and management
  • Organizational change and development
should not be taken for granted since these are CHED suggested coverage or topics. Check my blog posts here for reference/textbook material. I have yet to see a Philippine textbook on this course. Do let me know if you know one.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Policies and Standards for Undergraduate Programs in Psychology

Commission on Higher Education
CHED MEMORANDUM ORDER (CMO)
No. 38
Series of 2010

Subject: Policies and Standards for Undergraduate Programs in Psychology


In accordance with the pertinent provision of RA 7722, otherwise known as the "Higher Education Act of 1994," and by virtue of the Commission en banc Resolution No. 289-2010 dated November 12, 2010 and for the purpose of making relevant the general principles and guidelines for the establishment and operation of undergraduate psychology programs in all Higher Education institutions (HEIs) in the country, this set of Policies and Standards (PS) is hereby adopted and promulgated by this Commission.