Analysis of the Characteristics and Countermeasures of Psychological Health Issues in Elderly People

 

According to the Blue Book on the Mental Health Status of Chinese Elderly People released by the China National Research Center on Aging, about one-fifth (19.05%) of elderly people in Beijing are in a mild state of depression, and nearly one-tenth (12.17%) have moderate to severe depressive symptoms. These data indicate the universality and severity of mental health problems among elderly people in Beijing, as well as the inadequacy and challenges facing China's current mental health service system for the elderly.

Mental health problems among elderly people not only affect their quality of life and sense of happiness but also have negative impacts on families and society. Studies have shown that mental health issues among older adults are associated with various adverse consequences such as chronic diseases, cognitive decline, suicide risk, family conflicts, social isolation, etc. Therefore, paying attention to and improving the mental health of older adults is not only a necessary condition for achieving healthy aging but also an important task for promoting social harmony and stability.

To effectively address mental health problems among older adults, we need to start from multiple levels including enhancing public psychological literacy education level; strengthening grassroots psychological health service capacity building; optimizing community and family support environments; cultivating active healthy lifestyles for older adults etc. In these areas, governments at all levels should play their roles together with society organizations/families/individuals to jointly build a social atmosphere conducive to the development of elder's mental wellbeing.

I. The main causes of psychological problems in the elderly

As the elderly enter the later stages of life, they face various challenges and changes that may affect their mental health. Among them, the most common reasons are as follows:

Declining physical health

With age, the physiological functions of older people gradually decline, making them susceptible to various chronic diseases and disabilities such as hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, cataracts etc. These illnesses not only bring physical pain and inconvenience to the elderly but also affect their confidence and self-esteem causing them to feel useless and helpless.

Social Role Transformation

After retirement, elderly people lose their jobs and social status, as well as opportunities to communicate and cooperate with colleagues and friends. They may feel empty and bored, lacking goals and meaning in life. At the same time, they may also face changes in family relationships such as children getting married or starting careers, spouses passing away or divorcing. They may feel lonely and forgotten, lacking support from family and friends.

Lack of Social Support

Due to physical, economic or transportation limitations, elderly people may find it difficult to participate in social activities and public affairs which can lead them to become disconnected from society. They may lack contact with communities and social institutions making it difficult for them to obtain necessary information, services and assistance. They may feel marginalized and discriminated against while lacking a sense of belonging within society.

Elder Abuse Phenomenon

Elder abuse refers to physical, sexual, psychological/emotional harm or neglect towards older adults. Elder abuse can occur at home or within institutions/community settings where abusers could be relatives/caregivers/strangers etc.. Elder abuse not only causes physical injuries but also leads to serious psychological consequences such as depression/anxiety/suicide.

II. What are the common negative emotions among elderly people?

How do these factors lead to negative emotions such as loneliness, loss, and inferiority in elderly people? These factors can weaken the psychological adaptability of the elderly, making it difficult for them to cope with difficulties and setbacks in life. They may develop a series of negative cognitive and emotional reactions, such as:

Loneliness

Loneliness refers to an individual's subjective feeling of dissatisfaction with the quantity or quality of social relationships. Due to retirement, widowhood or children leaving home, elderly people may lose their original social network and intimate relationships, making it difficult for them to find new social partners or activities. They may feel misunderstood and uncared for by others and become isolated from the outside world.

Lost

Loss refers to the feeling of sadness that an individual experiences when their expectations or wishes for the past or future cannot be fulfilled. Elderly people may lose their original identity and role due to physical aging, retirement from work, or changes in family circumstances, making it difficult for them to adapt to new life situations. They may feel empty and helpless, lacking goals and meaning in life.

Inferiority

Inferiority refers to an individual's underestimation or denial of their own abilities or worth. Due to declining health, reduced income, social discrimination and other reasons, elderly people may lose their confidence and self-esteem which makes it difficult for them to gain respect and recognition from others. They may feel useless and helpless with a lack of social belongingness and participation.

These negative emotions not only affect the psychological health of the elderly but also cause damage to their physical health. Studies have shown that emotions such as loneliness, loss, inferiority can lower immunity levels increasing chronic diseases risk cognitive impairment as well as mortality rates. Therefore improving mental health issues among older adults is an important task towards promoting healthy aging.

III. How to Improve the Mental Health of Elderly People

The mental health of elderly people refers to their ability to maintain a good state in terms of cognition, emotion, personality, etc., and adapt to changes in themselves and their environment with a positive attitude towards life and goals, as well as having good interpersonal relationships and social functioning. The mental health of elderly people not only affects their quality of life but also their physical health and lifespan. Therefore, how to improve or help the mental health of elderly people is an important topic.

According to different researches and theories, there are several ways to improve or help the mental health of elderly people:

Starting from oneself:

1. Maintain a positive and optimistic mood and attitude. The elderly should recognize that old age is a part of life, a part of personal development, rather than decline and uselessness. The elderly should establish the idea of positive aging, see the benefits and opportunities in old age, such as having more time and experience, more freedom and choices, more wisdom and contribution. The elderly should avoid emotions like comparison, inferiority complex, negativity or pessimism but maintain cheerful, optimistic confidence with humor instead. Studies have shown that older people who feel young, healthy and valuable are less anxious or depressed with higher quality of life while lower risk of death.
2. Cultivate stable and harmonious interpersonal relationships. The elderly should keep in touch with family members friends or community to feel warmth among people without loneliness. They can participate in social activities or group events to make like-minded friends sharing experiences feelings opinions supporting each other which helps prevent psychological problems caused by social isolation.
3. Improve self-autonomy feeling & ability.The elderly should maintain their sense of control over life decisions according to their own wishes & interests without excessive dependence on others' interference.They need to keep problem-solving skills & efficacy using knowledge&experience overcoming difficulties not giving up easily nor blaming others for everything.They also need motivation&interests for learning&innovation accepting new things&technologies instead of being conservative or outdated.Studies show that empowering older adults with control can extend their lifespan.
4. Improve physical conditions & environment.The elderly should pay attention to their health regularly checking bodies preventing&treating various diseases maintaining good eating&sleepping habits doing appropriate sports exercises&leisure activities enhancing physical fitness&immunity.They also need to improve living environment keeping clean&safety avoiding noise&polution choosing comfortable furniture&sundries creating warm harmonious atmosphere.Finally they must arrange lifestyles reasonably based on actual situations finding balance points between tension/relaxation loneliness/crowd conservatism/adventure.

Based on the government and social levels

The psychological health problems of elderly people not only affect their own quality of life and happiness, but also have negative impacts on families and society. Therefore, paying attention to and improving the psychological health of elderly people is not only a necessary condition for achieving healthy aging, but also an important task for promoting social harmony and stability. To effectively address the psychological health problems of elderly people, we need to start from multiple levels, including improving the overall mental literacy education level of all citizens, strengthening grassroots mental health service capacity building, optimizing community and family support environments, cultivating active and healthy lifestyles among elderly people etc. In these areas, governments, societies, families and individuals should play their respective roles in jointly constructing a social atmosphere conducive to the development of psychological health among elderly people.

1. We must attach great importance to national mental literacy especially regarding issues related to older adults' psychological well-being. Encourage localities to strengthen mental health education services as an important part of Healthy China construction by incorporating it into local economic and social development plans while increasing financial investment in national mental literacy particularly with regard to older adults' psychology-related education services. Gradually establish a network covering urban-rural areas for providing mental healthcare services; improve primary-level psychiatric medical service capabilities; pay special attention in rural revitalization strategies towards addressing old-age homebound or empty-nest seniors’ psychological wellbeing issues so that they too can have opportunities to receive knowledge about relevant information concerning their emotional wellness.
2. Fully leverage community functions，strengthen supply-side provision for senior citizen's psychotherapy needs；comprehensively launch "psychological care" activities targeting senior citizens。Communities are important spaces where senior citizens live out their daily lives；where possible locations should be established at grassroots level which provide platforms offering psychotherapeutic healthcare services relying upon comprehensive facilities within urban-rural communities equipped with counseling rooms staffed by professional counselors. Enrich the spiritual and cultural lives of senior citizens, actively organize community activities such as reading, chess, fitness etc. aimed at promoting interaction and communication among elderly people. At the same time，strengthen psychological health services for key groups by fully understanding and grasping their specific needs regarding psychological well-being; enhance assessment and intervention capabilities for addressing common psychological health problems in older adults.
3. Focus on strengthening the construction of professional teams specializing in mental healthcare. Strengthen training programs for applied psychology professionals focusing on elderly people's mental health issues；encourage relevant professions to offer courses related to elderly people's emotional wellness while establishing a number of practical bases for psychotherapeutic healthcare services. Enhance training in knowledge about psychotherapy skills, ethical standards and moral values among personnel engaged in providing care services to seniors; improve identification abilities with regard to common psychological health problems experienced by older adults.
4. In addition to these suggestions, there are other measures that can help improve mental health services for the elderly, such as:
   • Establishing a platform for elderly mental health information using technology such as the internet and mobile communication to provide convenient, timely, and personalized psychological counseling and intervention services.
   • Establishing a volunteer team for elderly mental health to encourage volunteers with knowledge of psychology to participate in community and institutional psychological comfort services. Through methods such as phone calls, home visits, reading newspapers for the elderly, and chatting with them, they can help seniors resolve their emotional issues and live happily.
   • Establishing a policy support system for elderly mental health by issuing special regulations on elderly mental health services. Improving social security and medical insurance systems provides necessary economic and legal protection for the elderly.

Conclusion

The issue of senior citizen's mental health is currently one of China's major social problems. It is also an important aspect of achieving healthy aging. This article analyzes the current situation, causes, countermeasures, service system related to senior citizens' psychological well-being in order to raise awareness among society about this issue while promoting improvements in their overall level of psychological well-being. Solving this problem requires joint efforts from government agencies at all levels along with society at large including families who must create an environment conducive towards positive development in elder care. The government should increase investment while improving policies & optimizing service delivery; Society should strengthen care provision while eliminating discrimination; Families should deepen filial piety while enhancing communication & creating warmth; Individuals need to enhance learning abilities while adjusting attitudes & actively participating so that we may achieve our goal of active aging which allows seniors share reform achievements & enjoy happiness during their golden years.

References

(1) Mental health of older adults. https://www.who.int/zh/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-of-older-adults 

(2) Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Psychology: Blue Book on the Psychological Health Status of China's Elderly Released. http://www.crca.cn/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=119:2021-04-26-18-59-36&catid=16&Itemid=101 

(3) Notice on comprehensively strengthening elderly health services work_Health_China Government Network. http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/2022-01/18/content_5669095.htm 

(4) Optimizing Services and Improving the Mental Health Level of the Elderly (Expert Opinion)--Health·Life--People's Daily Online. http://health.people.com.cn/n1/2021/0806/c14739-32183386.html 

(5) Practicing "Positive Aging" to Improve the Well-being of Older Adults--Health·Life--People's Daily Online. http://health.people.com.cn/n1/2022/0624/c14739-32455209.html 

(6) Integrating Positive Aging Concept into Whole Process of Elderly Care Service - Ministry Of Civil Affairs Of The People'S Republic Of China. http://www.mca.gov.cn/article/xw/mtbd/202203/20220300040884.shtml 

(7) Experience and Enlightenment from Japan's "Positive Aging" (National Think Tank Report)-Japan Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.http://ijs.cssn.cn/xsyj/xszz/t20221009_5545895.shtml

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