Mental Health For Seniors

Nearly 20% of persons aged 60 and up suffer from neurological or mental problems, with mental and neurological disorders accounting for 6.6 percent of these people’s disabilities. This age group’s most prevalent mental and neurological illnesses are dementia and depression.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 3.8 percent of this population suffers from anxiety disorders, 1% suffers from substance misuse, and nearly a quarter dies due to self-harm (WHO). Because of the stigma associated with mental health, older persons are hesitant to discuss it. They frequently overlook or misdiagnose it by both older adults and health care professionals.

Older individuals’ mental health problems are linked to several risk factors. Although older folks have similar stressors to most people, they are more likely to be exposed to these stressors later in life. For example, elderly persons are more likely to experience loss of mobility, chronic health issues, and other issues.

They’re also more likely to lose loved ones or friends, lose their socioeconomic level due to retirement, and be isolated from their children, among other things. All of these stresses have the potential to produce psychological distress, necessitating long-term treatment.

There is an inextricable link between mental and physical health. For example, mental health influences physical health and vice versa. Compared to healthy older persons, seniors with heart disease are more prone to suffer from depression.