Aging can have a wide-ranging effect on mental health, from declines in physical function and chronic diseases, to personality changes and mood shifts, leading to depression and anxiety in older adults. While causes for these symptoms vary, such as bereavement, loss of financial security following retirement and loneliness or social isolation being known triggers, dementia can increase risk further for psychiatric issues in later life.
However, much can be done to promote healthy aging and avoid mental illness in old age. Promoting healthy lifestyles – eating well-balanced diets and sleeping enough, staying physically active and using your mind regularly (for instance by talking to friends, playing games or learning new skills) are all vital in order to promote positive aging in old age. It’s also essential that friends or loved ones monitor any changes they notice in themselves or others and seek assistance if they appear depressed, anxious or stressed out.
Though there were challenges involved, most older adults surveyed in the Tromso Study reported excellent mental health. A multimediator analysis revealed how age affected self-reported health through both comorbid disease and mental illness; rates remained steady across all survey points with non-Hispanic black and lower income older adults experiencing the highest rates of symptoms; men belonging to this demographic also have higher suicide rates; these differences should be taken into consideration when creating policies designed to promote healthy aging and prevent mental illness in old adulthood.