Depression and Its Negative Effects on an Older Adult

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Depression and its negative effects on an older adult
By the year 2045, the number of adults’ ages sixty years and older will increase significantly in comparison to a person who is fifteen years of age or younger (Touhy, Jett, Boscart, & McCleary, 2012). Therefore, a large percentage of people seeking medical attention and support in the future will be the older adult. Presently, there are many health related issues and conditions that plague the older adult, and these will only continue to increase due to the escalation in the numbers of older adults. One mental health condition that should be brought to light, in this students’ opinion, is the prevalence of depression among the older population. There is a specific concern about this demographic suffering from depression especially given the direct correlation between depressive conditions and chronic disease (Craven & Bland, 2013). For the purpose of this paper this student will define depression; explain how depression negatively affects an older persons physical health, as well as address how a psychiatric nurse can assist in providing competent care that will work towards illuminating depression in hopes of managing it thus, allowing for an older adult to live a fuller life.
Depression is characterised as a mental health disorder in which a person may experience a variety of symptoms including a decrease in energy, a loss of motivation, a loss of self-esteem, as well as a decreased concentration or increased indecisiveness (Touhy et al., 2012). As a psychiatric nurse it is vital that one is competent in recognizing the signs and symptoms that are associated with depression. Take for example a decrease in energy. When an older adult begins to display a decrease in energy he...

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...4-563. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=11&sid=b6f654f4-e84c-4c04-bcf8-a4b720e031a0%40sessionmgr4001&hid=4204&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=pbh&AN=82106321
Touhy, T. A., Jett, K. F., Boscart, V., & McCleary, L. (2012). Ebersole and Hess gerontological nursing and healthy aging (1st ed.). Toronto, ON: Elsevier Canada.
Wang, Y., Lin, F., Yu, C., Tzeng, Y., Liang, C., Chang, Y., ... Kao, S. (2012). Depression as a predictor of falls amongst institutionalized elders. Aging and mental health, 16(6), 763-770. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=6&sid=543837b6-8e4b-4b00-a58b-a7a583e2f1bc%40sessionmgr110&hid=124&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=rzh&AN=2011600190
Witter Du Gas, B., Esson, L., & Ronaldson, S. E. (1999). Nursing foundations a Canadian perspective (2nd ed.). Scarborough, ON: Prentice Hall Canada Inc.

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