Aging into older adulthood introduces many mental health stressors, such as physical decline, losses of loved ones, and reduced mental acuity. These stressors may lead to a diagnosable mental illness or result in frequent bouts of psychological distress that do not meet the criteria of a diagnosable illness. Regardless of clinical diagnosis, psychological distress can impair functioning for adults ages 65 and older. In The mental health landscape for older adults in the U.S., we extend the conception of the need for mental health care as stretching beyond using diagnosis as the principal indicator of need. We apply this perspective to analyze the need for mental health care and policy solutions to address the related sources of impairment faced by older adults.
Authors
- Acknowledgements and disclosures
- The authors would like to thank Carol Graham for her review of an earlier draft and Caitlin Rowley for editorial assistance. This work was supported by a grant from The SCAN Foundation. The Brookings Institution is financed through the support of a diverse array of foundations, corporations, governments, individuals, as well as an endowment. A list of donors can be found in our annual reports published online here. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions in this report are solely those of its author(s) and are not influenced by any donation.
- Pages
- 28
- Published in
- United States of America
Table of Contents
- Executive summary 3
- Introduction 5
- Data sources and analytical methods 5
- RATES OF MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DISORDERS 7
- Prevalence of Past Year Mental Health Among Adults Aged 65 and Older 7
- The state of mental health of older adults 7
- Prevalence of Past Year AUD Symptoms of Depression and Both Among Older Adults 8
- RATES OF SUICIDE AND SUICIDAL IDE- ATION 9
- RATES OF MENTAL ILLNESS OVER TIME 11
- SOCIAL ISOLATION AND PSYCHOLOGI- CAL DISTRESS 13
- Social Networks Symptoms of Depression and Loneliness 13
- MENTAL HEALTH AND FUNCTIONAL IM- PAIRMENT 14
- INCOME AND WEALTH BY MENTAL HEALTH STATUS 15
- The financial circumstances of older adults 15
- Prevalence of Past Year AUD and Symptoms of Depression by Income and Asset Quintile 15
- SPENDING BY MENTAL HEALTH STATUS 16
- Median Total Expenditures and Expenditures as a Share of Income by Mental Health Status 17
- INSURANCE COVERAGE AND MENTAL ILLNESS 18
- RATES OF CARE UTILIZATION BY MENTAL HEALTH STATUS 18
- Access to care and treatment 18
- Rates of Insurance by Past Year Mental Health Status 18
- Rates of Mental Health Care Use Conditional on Past Year Mental Health Across Demographic Groups 19
- Mental Health Care Use by Older Adults Not Meeting Diagnostic Criteria for Past Year AMI Across Demographic Groups 20
- SETTINGS OF MENTAL HEALTHCARE DE- LIVERY 21
- Use of Mental Health Care by Setting and Mental Health Status 21
- Use of Mental Health Care by Setting and Mental Health Status Among Older Adults Who Received Mental Health Care in the Past Year 22
- Use of Substance Use Disorder Care by Setting Among Older Adults with Past Year Substance Use Disorder 22
- Conclusions and observations for policy 23
- References 25
- Endnotes 27
