Geriatrics & Aging

Mental Illness in Geriatrics

Mental health and well-being is as important in older people as at the other time of life. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), mental health disorders affect about 20% of the elderly in the US. Sadly, almost one in three of these seniors will not be treated with fear or shame that they will be ignored as part of the aging process.

There can also be many factors for psychological state problems at any time in life. Older people may experience life stressors common to all people that are more common in later life. Many potential triggers exist for mental illness in the old people, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Geriatric Mental Health Foundation. These include Dementia-causing illness, cancer and Heart disease, Physical illnesses that can affect emotion, memory, and thought. All of these stresses can lead to loneliness, or depression in the older people, who need long-term health care.