18 Jun 2018
India is going through major demographic, social and technological changes. Its effects are reflected in the increase in the life expectancy of the elderly, the emergence of nuclear family systems, etc. The growth of the older population(above 60 years) from about 20 million in 1951 to 83.58 million in 2006, is expected to increase to 173 million by 2026. Such rapid changes have made the elderly more prone to psychological problems.
According to a study, the average prevalence of mental health problems both in rural and urban communities indicates that 20.5% of the older adults (1 out of 5) are suffering from one or the other mental health problems in India, i.e., 17.13 million older adults (from a total population of 83.58 million).
Though most of us may think that these problems are increasing at an alarming state, Anastasia Dedhia, Founder and Chief Psychologist, Mind Mantra, explains that "It’s not! It’s the ‘awareness’ among people that is increasing.” Similar to the sudden increase in awareness regarding Autism.
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Note by Wiser Community: Original story is published and owned by The Better India. Our aim is to consolidate all elderly related news at one place. We do not own any content, nor claim the accuracy of the news. Re-printed in good faith with our best effort.