MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS AMONG ELDERLY IN INDIA: A SOCIAL WORK STUDY AND ITS INTERVENTION

Dr. Chandrakala Diyali

Amity Institute of Social Sciences, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India

ABSTRACT

The Mental Health has been the biggest issue or concern in the era of globalized/liberalized /urbanized world irrespective of one’s stage of life; due to resultant side effects of women empowerment (increasing female work force participation), disintegration of joint family system and a shift from the community based society to individualized society. Therefore, the badly hit population is the most vulnerable population like elderly, due to receding of conventionally existing care and support in the family situation. These sections of the population face many physical and psycho-social and emotional health challenges which need to be identified and acknowledged. India accounts for about 6.6% of the Mental and neurological disorders among the elderly of the total disability (DALYs: Disability adjusted life years) for this age. The recent data also shows that approximately 15% of elderly in India suffer from mental disorder. As per the estimate of2010 dollar’s value; the mental health conditions will incur about 1.03 trillions of the economic loss to the country between 2012-2030.There are many organized team of Mental health workforce (per 100,000 populations) that includes psychiatrists (0.3), nurses (0.12), psychologists (0.07) and social workers (0.07). The elderly sufferings with both clinical and non-clinical mental health problems are helped by the team, through the journey of diagnosis to treatment but the Social Workers are the professionals who have a deep understanding, knowledge and skills to understand the human life stage in the entire life span. Hence, with the multi-sectorial and multi-dimensional strategies the social workers focuses on the preventive, promotive, protective treatment measures for the integrated and holistic life journey in the golden phase of their life.

Keywords:

Mental health, Well-being, golden period, disintegration, vulnerable population, Professional Social Workers.