Geropsychology is a branch of psychology that seeks to address the concerns of older adults. Mental disorders, depression, anxiety, and age-related illnesses all increase the need for older adults to seek psychological care from geropsychologists.
Geropsychology encourages older adults to live full lives well into their senior years by providing psychotherapies and interventions to treat a variety of disorders, aging concerns, and challenges. It is also a field that provides guidance for common changes that take place in these later years, such as retirement and housing relocation issues.
Negative cognitive changes sometimes manifest in older adults for a variety of reasons, including retirement, financial difficulties, transportation issues, housing problems, and declining health. Depression is the most prominent mental disorder that affects older adults. Depression can lead to a decreased interest in hobbies or activities, isolation, and even suicide in the most dire cases.
Geropsychologists often work with older adults suffering from chronic illness. When a patient is diagnosed with a chronic illness, a medical professional recommends psychotherapy to help the individual adjust to life with the illness, making treatment for the chronic illness a multidisciplinary objective. For instance, patients often develop depression as they face the realities of living with chronic pain or disability, and depression often impedes medical treatment. Geropsychologists guide older adults through all the issues associated with chronic illness, including socioenvironmental issues and crumbling social networks, to help them adjust to their conditions and comply with treatment.
Older adults who suffer from Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia typically exhibit symptoms of anxiety and depression as well. However, dementia presents unique challenges for geropsychologists because Alzheimer's patients are less likely to speak openly about their depression.
Geropsychology places a special focus on older adults struggling with substance abuse. Older adults with substance abuse problems are likely to have feelings of isolation, letting their substance abuse erode their social networks. Geropsychology research provides guidelines and programs to help older adults who suffer from substance abuse by focusing on rebuilding those social networks.