Mental functioning in old age

August 30, 2011

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The onset of old age   followed by the inevitable changes in many biological and mental functions of the body, which show up every time, individually. Also occur with age and psycho-emotional manifestations of old age Markedly deteriorates the assimilation of new knowledge, the mobility of the mental processes, the ability of imagination dies, there are memory disorders. Despite the fact that the quality of intelligent processes can be maintained for a long time, at the same time, it can significantly slow down the flow rate of certain mental processes and takes more time to solve any problems. Senile changes gradually growing, acquiring irreversible.

Psycho-emotional manifestations of old age

Biological changes in the body, diseases and ailments cause a feeling of uselessness, weakness and can lead to complex psycho-emotional manifestations. Against this backdrop, often formed a variety of psychosomatic and psychiatric disorders. All manifestations of the complex reduces the quality of life and can contribute to the development of disorders and suicidal tendencies.

In old age often develops emotional instability . touchiness . alarm . A person can dwell on unpleasant experiences and fall into depression. Depression in the elderly represent a separate group of disorders that occur in the majority of the elderly. Individuals senile and presenile age increases the frequency of mental disorders, which can manifest itself in the form of borderline mental disorders or even psychoses . In 3-5% of people aged 65 years and older is observed condition dementia , Psychosis, affective disorders, irreversible personality change. Presenile psychosis period is the involution-ary melancholy and involutional paranoid ( paranoid personality disorder ), Emotional instability becomes more pronounced.

Occurring in the nervous system, senile changes are related death and atrophy of brain cells, which in turn leads to changes in the cerebral cortex and the development of severe diseases such as Alzheimer's disease   or Parkinson's disease   and the complete destruction of the personality.