title: The potential for pharmacological treatment of unpleasant psychological symptoms to increase personal fulfillment in old age.
abstract: As some people get older, they experience a decline in their subjective sense of fulfillment. Life may become less rewarding, happiness diminished in intensity. This is usually regarded as an inevitable consequence of the ageing process: regrettable, but a circumstance to which stoical endurance is the only constructive response. This situation is potentially avoidable, for some individuals at least; not at some indefinite point in the future, but now. By using existing and available drugs in a novel fashion to treat the unpleasant psychological symptoms associated with ageing, a substantial improvement in the quality of life may be obtained.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Ridley Building, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK. bruce.charlton@ncl.ac.uk
authors.forename: B G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Charlton
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005221:Fatigue / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D009042:Motivation; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D011788:Quality of Life; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D012934:Social Isolation / Q000523:psychology; D012944:Social Support