PSYCH 130 Study Guide - Final Guide: Dsm-5, Polypharmacy, Adverse Drug Reaction
30 Apr 2018
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Late life and neurocognitive disorders
1. Myths about late life
a. Severe cognitive problems do not occur for most people in late life
b. Elder people actually experience less negative emotion
c. Social selectivity:
i. As we age, our interest shift away from seeking new social interactions to
cultivating a few social relationships that really matter to us, such as
those with family and close friends.
2. The problems experienced in late life
a. At least one major medical condition
b. Polypharmacy: the prescribing of multiple drugs to a person. Increase the risk of
adverse drug reactions such as side effects and toxicity
c. Most psychoactive drugs are tested on younger people
3. Research methods in the study of aging
a. Age effect: consequences of being a certain chronological age
b. Cohort effect: consequences of growing up during a particular time period with
its unique challenges and opportunities.
c. Time-of-measurement effects: confounds that arise because events at a
particular point in time can have a special effect on a variable that is being
studied
d. Cross-sectional studies:
i. Compare different age groups at the same moment in time on the
variable of interest. (do not exam the same people over time and do not
provide clear info about how people changes as they age)
e. Longitudinal studies: The researcher periodically retests one group of people
using the same measure over a number of years of decades
i. Allow us to trace individual patterns of consistency or change over time.
ii. Selective mortality: When people are no longer available for follow up
because of death
4. Psychological disorder in late life
a. Persons over age 65 have the lowest prevalence pf psychological disorders of all
age groups. Low rate of personality disorder
b. Methodological issue in estimating the prevalence of psychopathology
i. Older adults may be more uncomfortable acknowledging and discussing
mental health or drug use problems compare to younger people
ii. People with psychological disorders may die earlier
iii. Enhanced coping abilities developed across the life course may help
protect people from psychological disorders during late life.
5. Neurocognitive disorders in late life
a. Dementia: deterioration of cognitive abilities to the point that functioning
becomes impaired
b. Symptoms for mild neurocognitive disorder
i. Modest cognitive decline from previous levels in one or more domains
based on both of the following
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