The World Health Organization considers people aged 65 and over as elderly. In our country, March 18-24 is known as the Elderly Week. During the week, it is tried to raise awareness about the problems of old age.
Üsküdar University NPISTANBUL Hospital Psychiatry Specialist Prof. Dr. Hüsnü Erkmen said that there may be mental changes in old age and some diseases may also occur.
Dementia is brain degeneration due to aging
Prof. Dr. Hüsnü Erkmen said, "Almost all mental illnesses can be seen in old age. The mental problem that specifically belongs to this period is dementia. This disorder can be explained as the degeneration of the brain due to aging."
Emphasizing that the forgetfulness of the elderly should be taken into consideration, Prof. Dr. Hüsnü Erkmen warned, "Most of the time, these findings may be the beginning of dementia."
Depression and anxiety disorders can be seen
Prof. Dr. Hüsnü Erkmen stated that other diseases can also be observed in old age and said, "The most common ones are depression and anxiety disorders. While we can attribute this to the aging of the brain, other physical diseases and the drugs used for their treatment also cause these diseases. In addition, another reason why depression and other psychiatric diseases are seen in the elderly is that the feeling of uselessness due to withdrawal from social life comes to the fore."
Prof. Dr. Hüsnü Erkmen stated that in the past, the idea that some diseases were related to old age was very prominent, and even diagnoses such as senile depression were used, and said, "However, later researches have revealed that they are no different from similar diseases seen in other ages in terms of neither factor, progression nor treatment."
You should go out every day
Stating that the elderly should not move away from social life as much as possible, Prof. Dr. Hüsnü Erkmen said, "They should go out of their homes every day and continue their lives independently as much as they can. They should have mental occupations that will exercise the brain. Learning something new and reading books can be very useful."