Assessment Criteria: Critical and comprehensive review of the literature (70%) · Clarity of research question/hypothesis (10%) · General assessment criteria (20%) :· o Provides a lucid introduction o...

Running Head: LITERATURE REVIEW        1
LITERATURE REVIEW        19
WHAT ARE THE FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE MENTAL HEALTH OF ELDERLY PEOPLE IN AUSTRALIA?
(LITERATURE REVIEW)
Table of Contents
1. Introduction    3
2. Background    3
3. Theme 1: Models Explaining the Causation and Impacts of Mental Illness    4
4. Theme 2: Risk Factors for Elderly Population Suffering from Mental Disorders    8
5. Theme 3: Signs Indicating Mental Illness in Elderly Patients and Treatments for Overcoming Them    11
6. Research Strategy and Keywords    14
7. Research Questions    15
8. Literature Gap    16
9. Summary and Conclusion    16
References    17
1. Introduction
An increased number of elderly populations are observed in Australia. This is due to the increased life expectancy of the population. It has been forecasted that the future generation when reaches their old age they will be healthier and more active compared to the past generation. However, the impact of increasing age will affect the mental and health condition of the aged generation. As expressed by Hu, Gong and Fan (2017), these challenges include issues such as physical condition, dementia and mental illness.
The mental disorder can be categorised under a vast behavioural as well as a health disorder. Further, these conditions can vary based on the severity and duration. At times, these disorders can affect the social, cognitive and emotional abilities of the patient. In addition, there are certain concepts involved in the mental health condition of the patients. It has been observed that most often the mental health condition is experienced by the individuals due to several sub-clinical aspects, which include anxiety, depression, stress and dependence on drugs or alcohol.
2. Background
The mental health conditions of the elder population in most cases are seen to have occurred due to their inability to live independently. Sometimes, it can be due to the bereavement of their life partner or loss of income due to retirement. According to Kuerbis, Mulliken, Muench, Moore and Gardner (2017), mental health problems in the elderly population can also be caused due to social isolation, increased loneliness, increase in the psychological distress and lack of independence. Again, an increase in dementia amongst the aged population can complicate the mental disorder of the older individual.
Depression and dementia are two different types of mental condition, which can exist among the aged individuals; however, most often it becomes very difficult to distinguish in between them. As opined by Heidari, Ghodusi and Shirvani (2016), epidemiological studies have revealed that the mental disorder cannot only affect aged by also individuals at their teens or in their middle ages. Nevertheless, in the case of some older individuals, the mental illness has been accepted as a chronic as well as episodic condition. Within the general population, mental illness prevalence has been consistently increasing in the last few years.
However, a large number of aged individuals have complained of high psychological distress rather than a mental health challenge. According to the NSMHW, the age at which the highest prevalence in the mental disorder is observed in between the ages of 25 years and 34 years (AIHW, 2018). However, the condition decreases as the age of the individual increases. In most of the cases, the mental health disorder is found to be more challenging ion case of female population rather than the males in the aged group in Australia. In one of the estimated reports, it is revealed that around 10 to 15 % of the Australian population suffers from depression or anxiety (AIHW, 2018). Around 52% of the aged care in Australia stated that the patients who came for support or treatment were suffering from mild to moderate mental disorder (AIHW, 2018). Very rare cases were observed who was reported for a severe case of mental disorder.
In spite of the low number of aged Australian were observed to suffer from a severe mental disorder, these small percentage of the population who did suffer from mental disorder had a chronic health condition. Besides, sometimes, they also have the relapsing mental condition (Beyond Blue, 2017).
3. Theme 1: Models Explaining the Causation and Impacts of Mental Illness
Mental health is considered the psychological and emotional state of an individual highlighting the social well-being of an individual. It also highlights the process, by which the individual interacts with the others. However, there is a difference between mental illness and mental health. As stated by Maseda et al. (2018), poor condition of mental health results in the physical and mental illness. Good mental health will make the individual resilient to the change of their life and provides them with the ability to overcome stresses as well as challenges so that they can make a sound decision and have a meaningful relationship.
It has been observed that a large population of elderly Australians are suffering from mental health challenges. This situation has resulted in exploring the various factors that have contributed to the deterioration of the mental health of the elderly population in Australia. In some cases, according to the researcher, the patients were suffering from recent bereavement that resulted in mental health problems. The psychological distress is a condition, which can be determined by measuring its intensity through the psychological distress scale.
The mental illness can be explained with the help of a biological model for abnormality. This type of model involves in assumptions of interconnectedness in between the neuroanatomy, brain in addition to other biochemical aspects so that they can work together helping in a psychological process. According to Boyce and Berk (2016), the theory involves in exploring the functionalities of neurotransmitters such as serotonin in case of different neurological condition that includes conditions such as bipolar disorder, anorexia that can directly impact the physical health of the individual.
According to the biological model, it is crucial for the mental disorder to be treated similar to the physical illness since they are mostly caused due to the imbalances in the chemical of the body, excessive stress and microbes. It has been observed that mental illness is not well understood by the patient sim such as physical illness. This generates fear in the person and makes the behaviour of the individual potentially dangerous or unpredictable. In some cases, the biological model also helps the researcher in finding whether there is any lose the link between genetics and drugs in the mental illness.
Figure 1: Biological Model
(Source: Boyce & Berk, 2016)
When an individual suffers from mental illness, it is observed that the individual loses his ability to cope up with physical ailments. At times, the individuals will mental health condition are observed to find difficulties in maintaining their job as the symptoms of their condition prevents them from concentrating on their work. In many cases, the mental health condition of an individual suffers from stigmatisation at their workplace.
If the patient is young, he minds concentrating in his education difficult. In addition, the nature of an individual’s mental illness may cause difficulty for the person to get housing and may require support to settle in any community. Other challenges that are faced by the individual suffering from mental illness include the inability to create a relationship with the children, at times some of the mental illness medications interfere in the pregnancy creating difficulty in conceiving.
Mental health has been observed to be one of the critical aspects in different stages of life. According to the O'Neill, Ryan, Slater, Ferry and Bunting (2020), the healthy mental condition results in influencing the relationships, life experiences and physical health of an individual. A socially isolated condition emphasises the mental health condition of an individual. There are different ranges of mental disorders that affect the behaviour, way of thinking and mood of an individual.
An individual suffering from mental illness is often observed to experience difficulties in functioning at home, work and even under the social environment. Some of the major types of mental illness that are prevalent among the Australian population include anxiety, mood disorders, eating disorders, personality disorders, bipolar condition, schizophrenia and trauma disorders.
According to Cecile et al (2017), there are several chronic diseases, which are associated with increasing age. According to these articles, there is a decline in the functioning of the individual is observed. Further, there also an enhanced dependency of the aged individuals observed. This leads to the study of the importance of the physical activity of the aged population in Australia, which can help the population in retaining their health physically and mentally. As observed by the researchers with age the population leads a more sedentary life, as a result, the individuals are found to be more depressed and to have a lower mental health.
It was also emphasised by the articles that that with the increase in the participation in physical activities assisted the aged population in overcoming mental disorders that includes dementia, the decline in the...