Psyc Aspects of Mental Health

Depression is not just an illness that affects younger people and although it is not something that is acknowledged as much within the older community, it can have very negative effects on individuals health. Depression in individuals with chronic health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and stroke can cause their physical health to rapidly decline (NIMH, 2018). It can also interfere with the treatment of illnesses which is why it is so important that illness within the older community be acknowledged and more widely accepted. The best thing that individuals can do for an elderly individual suffering from depression is to recognize the warning signs and get the individual to a health practitioner for treatment (NIMH, 2018). The warning signs for depression within the elderly community are as follows; noticeable changes in mood, energy level, or appetite, feeling flat or having trouble feeling positive emotions, difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much, difficulty concent...

Schizophrenia is a terrible mental illness that greatly affects how an individual thinks, feels and behaves. If this disease is left untreated it can become debilitating for an individual, however, there are treatments that have proven to be very successful for individuals with schizophrenia. The first sign of schizophrenia generally comes after an individual's first psychotic episode, however, gradual changes in the way an individual thinks, feels and functions begins long before the first psychotic break (NIMH, 2020). Whilst schizophrenia is possible in young children, it is very unlikely that it will occur before adolescents (NIMH, 2020). Schizophrenia falls into three main categories; psychotic symptoms, negative symptoms and cognitive symptoms. Psychotic symptoms come in the form of altered perceptions such as changes in vision, hearing, smell, touch, taste, abnormal thinking and odd behaviors. An individual who is suffering from psychotic symptoms is likely to experience; H...