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Ageing and memory medication: social rationales and consumption practices.
Noémia Lopes1,2, Elsa Pegado1,2, Joana R Zózimo3
1Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Centro de Investigação e Estudos de Sociologia (CIES-IUL), Lisbon, Portugal.
Sociology of Health & Illness
|June 10, 2017
Summary
Elderly individuals show varied responses to memory-enhancing medications, with some embracing them for health or performance, while others resist their use for cognitive enhancement. This reflects evolving attitudes towards aging and pharmaceuticals.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Sociology of Health and Illness
- Psychopharmacology
Background:
- The increasing use of psychopharmaceuticals for enhancing everyday performance.
- The evolving cultural landscape of aging and its impact on healthcare decisions.
- The specific context of memory medication within the broader psychopharmaceuticalization of aging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the social rationales behind the consumption or rejection of memory medication among the elderly.
- To analyze the relationship between psychopharmaceutical use for performance enhancement and new cultures of aging.
- To identify distinct patterns of engagement with memory enhancement strategies in old age.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative analysis of social rationales.
- Examination of consumption and rejection patterns of memory medication.
- Discussion within the framework of psychopharmaceuticalization and aging cultures.
Main Results:
- Identified heterogeneous patterns of memory investment in old age.
- Observed a willingness to consume memory medication, driven by disease or performance enhancement beliefs.
- Documented cultural resistance and skepticism towards using psychopharmaceuticals for cognitive performance.
Conclusions:
- The psychopharmaceuticalization of aging, particularly through memory medication, elicits diverse responses.
- Rationales for medication use range from disease management to performance enhancement.
- Significant cultural resistance exists regarding the use of psychopharmaceuticals for non-pathological cognitive enhancement in the elderly.
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