{"id":41178,"date":"2017-12-11T11:27:01","date_gmt":"2017-12-11T11:27:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/?p=41178"},"modified":"2017-12-11T11:27:01","modified_gmt":"2017-12-11T11:27:01","slug":"depth-forgotten-generation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2017\/12\/11\/depth-forgotten-generation\/","title":{"rendered":"In depth: The forgotten generation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is enough being done in Wales to help adults suffering with mental illness, or is the\u00a0focus on\u00a0the younger generation too great?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"A

Countless sleepless nights, spending significant time overthinking, not leaving the house and not answering the phone; these are all things that people in our city are struggling with everyday. <\/span><\/p>\n

But where is the help? The most recent statistics released show that Wales has the second-highest suicide rates in the UK, with men aged 40-44 being the highest demographic affected. Although mental illness and suicide are not interchangeable, their link cannot be ignored.<\/p>\n

There has been a massive push in recent years to help child and adolescent mental health. Professionals are going into schools and there are many social media campaigns to encourage young people to talk, to break the stigma and to seek help.<\/p>\n

These efforts are incredibly important. But with a focus on the younger generation, older sufferers are being left behind.<\/p>\n

Dr Sabarigirivasan Muthukrishnan is the clinical director of Mental Health Services for Older People (MHSOP). Sabarigirivasan has found that symptoms of depression in over 65\u2019s are misattributed to ageing or dementia.<\/p>\n

A case study of an 86-year-old man with memory problems illustrates this<\/span>. He had been misdiagnosed with dementia, but in reality had severe depression with psychosis. After being treated with antidepressant and antipsychotic medication, as well as psychosocial interventions, he recovered completely.<\/p>\n

MHSOP make \u201ctimely, appropriate and accurate diagnosis by experts, followed by implementation of evidence-based holistic treatment plan,\u201d says Sabarigirivasan. He believes this is why the services are so important.<\/p>\n

Because of the misdiagnoses, older adult mental health can be more difficult to tackle compared to young adult\u2019s, due to it manifesting.<\/span><\/p>\n

It makes sense to teach coping mechanisms to the younger generations, so that their problems do not manifest. But if all the efforts that are being made focus on preventing the growth of illness, then a generation of sufferers are being left behind.<\/p>\n