Older Adults with Mental Health Issues in North Carolina
Information for Aging Service Providers
Did you know…North Carolina ranks 8h in the worst in the percentage of older adults in the nation experiencing
frequent mental distress?1 Mental health problems are not a normal part of aging and are costly to our healthcare
system. With North Carolina’s 65+ population projected to increase to 18% of the state total by 2030, the treatment
needs of older adults will significantly rise.2
Mental Health and Aging Facts
 Depression is a common problem among older adults.
o Depression is not a normal part of aging.3
o For older adults, depression often co-occurs with other serious illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke,
diabetes, cancer and Parkinson’s disease. 3
o Primary Care Physicians fail to diagnose depression in older adults 50% of the time.4
o While older adults may experience many losses, deep sadness that lingers may signal clinical depression.
o Similarly, an anxiety disorder is different from normal worries.
o One in four American adults have a diagnosable mental disorder during any one year.
o About 6% of older adults have a diagnosable depressive illness.5

Suicide is a risk among older adults.
o Adults age 65 and older have a suicide rate that is higher than the national average. In fact, non-Hispanic
white men age 85 and older have the highest suicide rate in the United States. 5
o Several studies have found up to 75% of older adults who die by suicide had visited their primary care
doctors within one month of their deaths. 6
•
An estimated 10–15% of Americans over 65 are addicted to alcohol, and 20% are “problem drinkers.”
o As people age, they may become more sensitive to alcohol’s effects. The same amount of alcohol can have
a greater effect on an older person than on someone who is younger7
o It has been predicted that as the baby boom generation (persons born between 1946 and 1964) ages, illicit
drug (e.g., marijuana, cocaine, heroin, etc.) use by older adults will increase. 8
o Nearly 4.8 million older adults (aged 50 and over) used an illicit drug in the past year. Patterns of use vary by
gender and age group. 6
o In 2008, an estimated 118,495 emergency room (ER) visits involved illicit drug use by older adults (aged 50
and over).9
o The number of Americans aged 50+ years with a substance use disorder is projected to grow from 2.8
million in 2002-2006 to 5.7 million in 2020.10
o Nonmedical use of prescription drugs is the second most common drug abused after marijuana among
adults age 50 and over. 11
1Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010
Office of State Budget and Management, 2010
3 http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/older-adults-and-mental-health/index/html
4 http://mhtransformation.wa.gov/pdf/mhtg/10%20Facts%20About%20Mental%20Health%20and%20Aging.pdf
2NC
5
6
http://mhtransformation.wa.gov/pdf/mhtg/10%20Facts%20About%20Mental%20Health%20and%20Aging.pdf
http://nih.seniorhealth.gov/depression/toc.html
7 National Institute on Aging, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, US Department of Health and Human Services, Older
Adults and Alcohol: You Can Help; NIH Publication Number 08-7350, December 2008
8 The NSDUH Report, September 1, 2011 http://oas.samhsa.gov
9 http://www.samhsa.gov/samhsaNewsletter/Volume_18_Number_5/OlderAdults.aspx
10 Wu, Li-Tzy ScD and Blazer, Dan G. MD, PhD, Duke University Illicit and Nonmedical Drug Use Among Older Adults: A Review Journal of Aging and Health April 2011.
http://jah.sagepub.com/content/23/3/481.abstract?etoc
11
The NSDUH Report, September 1, 2011 http://oas.samhsa.gov
2
North Carolina Responds
The NC Mental Health and Aging Coalition was formed in June 2011 as a collaborative effort of the NC Division of Aging
and Adult Services; the NC Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services; the UNC
Institute on Aging; the NC Healthy Aging Research Network; and the Carolina Geriatric Education Center. Over 36
individuals representing a variety of public and private entities and many communities have joined the Coalition to date.
The Coalition meets quarterly in person and via teleconference.
The mission of the NC Mental Health and Aging Coalition is to focus attention on the mental health needs and
substance use of older adults, build community capacity, and support advocacy and action. The Coalition is focused on
winnable battles, as follows:
 Advocacy - Build awareness of the mental health needs of older adults.
 Training - Develop workforce capability to serve older adults.
 Dissemination – Promote broad adoption of evidence-based practice and programs.
Contact Information
Ellen Schneider
Carolina Geriatric Education Center
eschneider@schsr.unc.edu
Debbie Webster
NC Division of Mental Health,
Developmental Disabilities, and
Substance Abuse Services
Debbie.Webster@dhhs.nc.gov
Mary Edwards
NC Division of Aging and Adult Services
Mary.Edwards@dhhs.nc.gov
NC Mental Health and Aging Coalition website: http://www.med.unc.edu/aging/cgec/nc-mental-health-and-aging%20
Focusing attention, building capacity, supporting action