Ab Psych Test #4: Disorders of Aging & Cognition

Suicide is a very real issue for the elderly. The national suicide rate in the United States for elderly people is approximately _____ per 100,000.

16

Different areas of research have found that depression in old age is related to a decrease in physical health. For example, one study found that depressed older people with high blood pressure are about _____ times as likely to suffer a stroke as non-depressed older people with high blood pressure.

3

One significant problem regarding drugs and elderly individuals is the (often unintentional) misuse of prescription drugs. This is not a surprising phenomenon, when you consider that the elderly are responsible for purchasing _____% of all prescription drugs and _____% of all over-the-counter drugs in the United States.

30 & 40

The rate of alcohol-related behavior problems in men under the age of 30 is about _____ times as high as it is in men over the age of 60.

4

The ratio of females to males over 65 years old is:

40 percent

In the United States of America, approximately _____ million people suffer from Alzheimer's disease.

5

Despite the fact that the patients display no symptoms that would warrant the administration of such medications, research has found that about 30% of all nursing home residents in the United States are given _____ drugs, quite possibly to keep them quiet and easier to manage.

Antipsychotic

_____ therapy has been widely used with those suffering from an anxiety disorder in old age.

Cognitive- behavioral

Psychotic disorders are more common in the elderly than they are in younger people, but the rates of schizophrenia in older adults are actually lower. Which psychotic disorder is seen in higher rates in the elderly?

Delusional disorder

Which statement regarding the prevalence of depression in elderly individuals is true?

Depression in the elderly occurs at about the same rate as it does in young adults, even lower according to some studies.

People over the age of 85 are about how many times as likely to experience delirium, compared to those closer to age 55?

Over 10 times as likely

An elderly person who believes falsely that others are conspiring against her, cheating her, or spying on her and who behaves in angry, irritable, and depressed ways is exhibiting:

a delusional disorder

A person who has an excess of plaques due to Alzheimer's would be likely to have:

breakdown and death of neurons

An individual has just been diagnosed with mild neurocognitive disorder. We know for sure that the person:

can still function independently

Different areas of research have found that depression in old age is related to a _____ in physical health.

decrease

As people age, the incidence of alcohol abuse and other forms of substance abuse:

decreases

An 80-year-old hospitalized individual is recovering from surgery but now has gotten an infection. Over the course of a few days, the person shows increasing confusion, and consistently misinterprets what others are trying to communicate. The MOST probable diagnosis for this condition would be:

delirium

Which disorder belongs to one of the two primary types of disorders of cognition?

delirium

Alzheimer's is a brain _______ while a stroke is a brain _______.

disease-injury

Those who begin unhealthy _____ patterns later in life typically begin as a response to negative events and the pressures of growing older.

drinking

Anxiety disorders are common among the elderly. Which diagnosis in this family of illnesses is the most common for those over the age of 65?

generalized anxiety disorder

The field of _____ is dedicated to the mental health of elderly people.

geripsychology

Aviva works in a nursing home and helps the elderly with mental health problems. She is a _____.

geropsychologist

To date, research shows that declining _____ may be a main cause of anxiety among the elderly.

health

There are many effective treatments for helping reduce the symptoms of depression in the elderly. They include all but _____ therapy.

humanistic

Delirium can have many different causes. They include all but:

insect bites

A 65-year-old in otherwise very good health typically will experience occasional:

memory difficulties

An individual with Alzheimer's disease is able to function independently. The MOST appropriate label for this person's condition is _____ neurocognitive disorder.

mild

An individual with Alzheimer's disease is able to function independently. The MOST appropriate label for this person's condition is:

mild neurocognitive disorder

Those who begin unhealthy drinking patterns later in life typically begin as a response to:

negative events and the pressures of growing pressures

Twisted protein fibers that are found within the cells of the hippocampus and certain brain areas are called _____ tangles, and an excess of them may be related to the development of Alzheimer's disease.

neurofibrillary

Samuel, who is over 65, reports taking six prescription drugs in addition to taking regularly two over-the-counter drugs. Among the elderly, Samuel is:

normal-the average elderly individual takes about this amount of drugs

Assume a nursing home director is trying to decide whether to use antipsychotic drugs for treating symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Research shows that the director generally should:

not use antipsychotic drugs; they don't work any better than placebos do

A person who abuses alcohol frequently often drinks alone, blacks out occasionally, and falls a lot. These characteristics are:

over twice as common in young alcohol abusers as they are in elderly alcohol abusers

Studies have shown that misuse of medications in U.S. nursing homes occurs MOST often when staff members:

use antipsychotic drugs to control the behaviors of those who don't show psychotic symptoms.