Nineteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

Older people are currently the fastest growing age group, yet have the most widely under-recognized mental health conditions which result in either lack of treatment or under-treatment. It is estimated that 20% of people age 55 years or older experience some type of mental health concern. Most commonly experienced conditions include anxiety, cognitive impairment, and mood disorders. Mental health issues are often implicated as a factor in cases of suicide, especially men over the age of 80 (45 per 100,000, compared to the overall rate of 11 per 100,000 for all ages). Data on the mental health of older adults were collected through the United States Center for Disease Control, through random, digit-dialed telephone surveys, of non-institutionalized Americans aged 50 years or older, using the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. This questionnaire consists of core questions asked to all subjects, as well as supplemental modules which are a series of questions on specific topics. Results indicate that there are significant mental health issues reported among older adults, grouped into the following areas of assessment: social and emotional support, life satisfaction, frequent mental distress, current and lifetime depression, and current and lifetime anxiety disorders. Incorporated into these results are the public health uses of this information to identify populations that might be most at risk and to monitor the need for and the effectiveness of various public health interventions. Continuous mental health surveillance should be used to develop programs that can incorporate mental health promotion into public health disease prevention efforts.