Ageism or ageist attitudes represent a myth or inaccurate stereotype about adulthood and aging. Some people may think it is a boring and unexciting time of life compared to childhood and adolescence. Many say it is depressing because it involves aging and society has taught us that aging is negative compared to the positivity of youth. Others believe that childhood and early adulthood are important because certain situations or experiences from that time can influence the rest of their lives and shape their character. In comparison, experiences in older adults are thought not to have the same influencing power. Sometimes people think that aging, senility and death are integral parts of each other. That is, when you get one, you will soon get the others. All these ideas are not true, but society says they are and therefore the treatment of psychological problems in the elderly suffers. Social roles and age norms clearly influence our behavior. Those who deviate from expected behavior are likely to experience social pressure to conform or receive formal sanctions of varying degrees of severity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Additionally, age and other social norms can be used to devalue individuals and discriminate against groups of people. Ageism, like sexism and racism, is a form of prejudice. Palmore (1977) defines ageism as “moderately negative stereotypes about older people, feelings of superiority among non-elderly people, and simple exclusion or avoidance of older people.” Since the mid-1960s, mental health policy has “deinstitutionalized” patients in psychiatric hospitals. However, for many of the older patients, this has meant reinstitutionalizing them in adult homes, single-room hotels, or nursing homes (Kermis, 1986). Many of these older adults do not receive mental health services because they are in institutions that do not routinely provide psychological or psychiatric care. An estimated 55 to 80 percent of the 1.4 million nursing home residents in the United States have diagnosable mental disorders. Common diagnoses and behaviors in nursing homes include Alzheimer's disease, confusion, depression, wandering, disorientation, agitation, withdrawal, lethargy, frustration, stress, reaction, dependence, apathy, guilt, irritability , rise and fall of self-esteem, persistent talk of wishing to die, and paranoid delusions. The treatment of these psychological problems is influenced by age-related attitudes, especially in how they are not treated. La Rue et al (1985) noted that depression is one of the most prevalent and treatable mental disorders affecting older adults. They reported that antidepressant medications respond well to symptoms of depression in older adults. However, due to age-related attitudes, depression may not be accurately diagnosed because some of the symptoms may be considered “natural consequences” of aging. So it may be misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed as dementia. Isolation, retirement, and moving to new homes do not normally produce depression. Factors ranging from the presence of social support, particularly a self-confidence, are important in protecting the individual from this type of social loss. La rue et al (1985) concluded that only a small minority of older people were clinically depressed and that adaptation rather than decompensation appears to be the modal reaction to any single loss such asbereavement or retirement. Suicides in later life result from severe depression. It occurs when depression seems intolerable and the person feels that there is no chance of improvement, that there is a reduced ability to function, or that there is no chance of recovering from a terminal illness. Suicide mortality rates increase steadily with age (not so evident in blacks) and Butler and Lewis (1977) hypothesized that the "explanation lies in the severe loss of status (ageism) affecting white men, who as group have held the most power and influence in society. Black men and women have largely been accustomed to a lower status (through racism and sexism) and ironically do not have to suffer such a drastic fall." Another treatment for a psychological problem influenced by age-related attitudes is that of Alzheimer's disease. In recent years, Alzheimer's disease has become more commonly referred to as "veterans' disease." This implies that it is a condition caused by old age. Gatz and Pearson (1988) noted that Alzheimer's was distorted as an age bias. It has gained a lot of media publicity, and therefore its prevalence is greatly overestimated and doctors overdiagnose it. “Senile acting out” could be the result of depression, excessive medication, lack of emotional stimulation, or withdrawal from an unpleasant environment, even in institutions such as nursing homes. Butler and Lewis (1977) noted that medically induced reversible and irreversible dementia can be caused by specific medications (e.g., cortisone) or prolonged use of tranquilizers. They also noted that even small amounts of drugs can have marked adverse reactions in older people. Because many older adults are not in institutions that provide mental health care, due to ageist attitudes, their quality of life is minimized. In these institutions, age is such a strong prejudice that ideal care treatment is not provided. In the case of dementia, a progressive deterioration of a range of cognitive abilities and self-care skills, psychological treatment is unlikely to completely reverse the effect. The aim of treatment should be to improve quality of life. Interventions with the patient may involve attempts to modify particular aspects of behavior, rather than reversing the entire process. People suffering from dementia need to be treated with stimulation in various ways. Sensory deprivation in elderly patients has been attributed to a combination of loss of sensory acuity, the unstimulating environment of many institutions for the elderly, and the person's withdrawal from their environment. Dementia patients would suffer immensely from sensory deprivation as their impaired memory strengths rely on external stimulation to maintain appropriate environmental contact. Attempts were made to provide mental stimulation, introduce care regimes and group work which would encourage greater independence, socialization and activity. However, a number of studies have shown both the responsibility of patients with severe dementia to aspects of their environment and the detailed and careful observation needed to identify this response. The reason treatments for older adults are scarce is that there is a real risk that patients will be "considered completely unresponsive because the response is not immediately apparent." Stress is another problem that older people suffer from, yet the treatment is not the same for middle-aged people suffering from stress. Many older adults are able to lead active and useful lives. For them, inactivity.