Conduct disorder is the instability in controlling their own behavior and emotions, the patient will have difficulty in implementing the agreed rules and principles. This condition is common in children and adolescents, but it is not uncommon for behavioral disorders in the elderly.
Behavioral disorders are common in children but can also occur in the elderly.
What is behavior disorder in the elderly?
Conduct disorders include a wide range of emotional and behavioral problems that often have early onset in childhood or adolescence, but are also sometimes experienced by adults and the elderly. symptom of the disease.
People with this disorder will often have difficulty following pre-established rules and regulations. This condition greatly affects the daily life of each patient. Especially the severity in the elderly will often be higher because they already have a clear perception and the behaviors are also more dangerous.
Causes of behavioral disorders in the elderly
Conduct disorder can often be triggered by many different causes, it is often a combination of factors, rarely due to a single cause. For cases of conduct disorder in the elderly, it will often stem from the symptoms and signs that have been present since adolescence but have not been detected or treated completely, and the disease is also more likely. onset, which cannot be specified in time.
Accordingly, damage to the frontal lobe is considered to be the main cause for the elderly to fall into a state of behavioral disorders. Also because the frontal lobe is the organ that holds the function of expressing, receiving and processing situations, events or remembering. If this organ is damaged, it will lead to a decline in the ability to handle difficulties, conflicts, implement predetermined plans, and remember and learn. According to experts, frontal lobe damage can also be the result of trauma, stroke or some neurodegenerative diseases.
Behavioral disorders in the elderly often appear due to damage to the frontal lobe
In addition, conduct disorder is more likely to start in people such as:
- People addicted to alcohol, stimulants
- People often face conflicts and conflicts in the family.
- Elderly people are unhappy in childhood, have been exploited, tortured and abused.
- People with a history of psychological, psychiatric or neurological problems.
- A person who has just been through a sudden, serious event or situation.
Society is increasingly developing and has great changes, this requires people to make more and more efforts to survive. That is why many people have to face invisible pressures, especially adults who need to shoulder many responsibilities. The psychological pressures are piling up, but the things around them don’t work as they expected, so they easily fall into a state of deadlock, fatigue, exhaustion and lead to a series of problems. various psychological problems, including behavioral disorders.
Signs of behavioral disorders in the elderly
Symptoms of conduct disorder in children and the elderly are very evident. However, most people do not care much or think that it is due to the influence of each person’s personality, not any psychological problem.
However, detecting it too late will make the treatment process difficult and pose great danger to the patient. Especially in cases of behavioral disorders in the elderly, because they are mature and fully aware of, have their own thoughts and judgments, their behaviors may be dangerous for them. themselves and societies.
Older people with conduct disorder are often impulsive, agitated, and have difficulty controlling their actions and thoughts.
Some signs help you recognize behavioral disorders in the elderly such as:
- Behave or use violent, aggressive behavior or words, often aggressive, irritable with people around.
- Tends to be violent, threaten to beat, or perform harmful or dangerous acts towards those around them.
- Frequently fighting, quarreling, cursing with others over very trivial matters.
- Lying, stealing, stealing other people’s property.
- Cruel, animal cruelty, can perform acts of beating, treating, killing animals in a barbaric and cruel way.
- Rape, sexual abuse.
- No empathy, no compassion.
- Tendency to abuse alcohol, smoke, use stimulants, addictive substances. If it is not met, it will be easy to agitate, perform destructive behaviors, and scream.
- Not being able to respond well to rules, standards, and ethical frameworks.
- Unable to work or live in places with too many regulations, places that require respect.
The manifestations of conduct disorder are very specific and obvious. However, many people often think that this is the nature and personality of each person. People with this disorder are often viewed as bad people by society. They can be kidnappers, thieves, violent, vandals, house breakers, racing cars or other illegal acts. Especially for those who are married and have children, they can become abusive, often abuse their wives and children, or even threaten to kill or destroy property.
Characterized by non-compliance with social norms, rules and norms, people with conduct disorder find it difficult to find stable work. They are often not accepted by everyone and easily feel lonely and lost.
What are the harmful effects of behavioral disorders in the elderly?
As shared above, behavioral disorders in the elderly will be more dangerous than in adolescents and teenagers. If this condition is not detected early and has timely preventive measures, it will cause many negative impacts on the patient’s health and daily life, even threatening those around.
The unpredictable harm that behavioral disorders can cause such as:
- Increased risk of self-harming behaviors that affect themselves and those around them.
- Patients will have many difficulties in integrating and adapting to the community and society and are easily isolated.
- The patient constantly has disruptive and agitated behaviors that affect social order.
- Difficulty in finding a stable and serious job.
- Frequent quarrels, conflicts, conflicts with people around make the relationship gradually fracture.
- Risk of becoming a criminal.
How to overcome behavioral disorders in the elderly
The symptoms of conduct disorder are very specific but can be easily confused with other conditions. Adults or elderly people with sudden onset of symptoms are often brought to the doctor by their family. In addition, there are also a number of cases where the patient commits destructive and illegal acts such as theft, violence, threatening the life of others, will be considered to participate in the assessment through a number of tests. New psychological test to detect the disease condition.
Compared with children, behavior disorder in the elderly will face more challenges and difficulties in treating the disease. Therefore, in order to restore the patient’s health, it is necessary to cooperate with the family, the doctor and the patient himself for a long time to bring the best effect.
Specifically, some methods are commonly applied in the treatment of behavioral disorders in adults such as:
1. Medical treatment
As soon as abnormal signs are noticed, the family should take the patient to a mental hospital or specialized medical facility for adequate and timely support. The doctor will conduct an examination, examination and perform some necessary tests to make the most accurate diagnosis.
Usually, patients will be asked to have a CT scan to be able to recognize and detect abnormalities in the brain. In addition, the specialist also allows patients to perform psychological tests to assess their mental health status, thereby offering a suitable treatment plan for each different object.
The doctor will conduct an examination and perform tests if the subject is suspected of having a behavioral disorder.
Patients with behavioral disorders will often be prioritized for treatment with drugs to be able to control and control dangerous symptoms. Specifically, some drugs are considered for use such as:
- Stimulants: To minimize disruptive behaviors, specialists will consider prescribing drugs with drugs of the Methylphenidate and alpha agonist group.
- Special antipsychotics: Risperidone can be used for the purpose of controlling the patient’s extreme, impulsive and aggressive emotions.
- Sedatives: Help patients improve sleep quality, improve mental health, increase alertness.
- Mood Stabilizers: Lithium and Valproic Acid (Depakote) will be commonly used.
However, the use of the drug needs to be prescribed and with specific guidance of a specialist. Because most of these drugs have the potential to cause unwanted side effects, patients need to be really careful in their use. Patients need to strictly follow the doctor’s instructions, take the right dose, on time. If during treatment with the drug appear abnormal symptoms, it is necessary to notify the doctor immediately for instructions on timely handling.
2. Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is currently a highly appreciated method in the process of improving psychological and neurological problems for many different subjects. In the case of behavioral disorders in the elderly, experts also prioritize applying this therapy to ensure the safety of the patient.
Psychologists will use specialized techniques to deeply influence the spirit, thoughts and emotions of the patient and help them gradually change their perception and thinking in a more correct and positive direction. . At the same time, through conversations, experts will also exploit and identify the root cause of disease symptoms. Because of that, it is possible to find suitable solutions to help patients eliminate negative effects.
Patients will also gradually understand the problem they are facing, see it in a more positive way to easily control their emotions, behavior, and limit extreme states. . The specialist will also facilitate and arrange a schedule for the patient to meet similar cases. As a result, patients can improve their ability to communicate and interact in a more standardized way.
In addition, experts also encourage families to participate in therapy sessions so that they can better understand the condition of their loved ones and know how to care for and control patients in some emergency cases. However, for the treatment process to be highly effective, the patient also needs to trust the specialist and coordinate well with the guided measures.
3. Support from family
The family plays an extremely important role in the treatment and improvement of the elderly with behavioral disorders. You should understand that the wrong behaviors and emotions of the patient do not come from their wishes but are due to the influence of the behavior disorder.
Therefore, instead of blaming and yelling at the sick person, you should be very calm, gently analyze and talk to them. Help them understand and know the nature of the behavior and encourage them not to do it.
Families and loved ones need to spend a lot of time with, care for and take care of the sick person.
To help them improve their awareness and behavior and meet social standards well, the family should also spend a lot of time caring and participating in healthy activities with them. Help them improve love and connection by cleaning the house, cooking, traveling, exercising together.
At the same time, it is advisable to limit the patient’s being alone or to avoid or hide from them. People with conduct disorder often feel lonely, especially when it comes to other people’s attitudes towards them. Therefore, try to soothe them by giving them love, care, and words of encouragement so that they have more energy to try and overcome this disease.
4. Patient’s determination
Elderly people have gone through many years of life experience, and at the same time they also have awareness and mature thoughts, they can completely plan their own wrong behaviors. Not only that, there are many cases where they still realize their mistakes, but the more they do them, the more happy and satisfied they feel.
They also have the ability to lie to those around them and make others think they are okay, then sneakily carry out their inappropriate behaviors. Therefore, if the patient himself does not have the determination and effort, no matter how well the measures are applied, it will not be able to bring about the expected effect.
Therefore, in order to stay calm, improve mental health and support the treatment of anxiety disorders, patients need to do a few things:
- Exercise and maintain a healthy exercise regimen every day.
- Pay attention to improving the quality of sleep, maintaining a stable sleep.
- When you feel that you are losing your temper or are about to do something wrong, practice breathing deeply.
- Yoga and meditation are one of the methods to help control emotions, stabilize mood and limit negative thoughts and behaviors.
- Build a healthy diet, increase the intake of nutritious foods, contain many vitamins and minerals beneficial to health.
- Learn how to share and confide more with loved ones around to relieve pressure and stress.
- Find a new hobby, engage in healthy activities to increase your ability to connect and socialize.
- Listening to music, reading books is also one of the ways to help you relieve your spirit effectively.
Behavioral disorders in the elderly often come with many dangerous consequences, so they need to be detected and treated as soon as possible. Hopefully, through the information of this article, readers will understand more about the disease and promptly detect unusual symptoms of themselves or their loved ones.
