Older Adults with Mental Health Issues in North Carolina
Information for Mental Health Service Providers
Did you know…It is estimated that 20% of people age 55 years or older experience some type of mental
health concern. The most common conditions include anxiety, severe cognitive impairment, and mood disorders
(such as depression or bipolar disorder).
Mental Health and Aging Facts
1

Mental health problems are not a normal part of aging.
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 has a diagnosable mental disorder during any one year.
o About 6% of older adults have a diagnosable depressive illness.1

Depression is a common problem among older adults.
o On a national scale, approximately 20% of individuals 55 years and older suffer from some form of
mental health issue – the most prevalent mental health problem being depression.
o Depression in older adults can cause physical, social and mental impairments
o Depressive disorders often coincide with and make it difficult to treat other chronic diseases
o Depressed older adult’s visit the doctor and ER more often, have longer stays in the hospital, incur
more medical expenses, and take more medications. 2
o Primary care physicians fail to diagnose depression 50% of the time.
o Only half of older adults who discuss specific mental health problems with a physician receive any
treatment.3

An estimated 10–15% of Americans over 65 are addicted to alcohol, and 20% are “problem drinkers.”4
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. 5
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 younger. 6
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.
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.7
o In 2008, an estimated 118,495 emergency room (ER) visits involved illicit drug use by older adults
(aged 50 and over).8
http://mhtransformation.wa.gov/pdf/mhtg/10%20Facts%20About%20Mental%20Health%20and%20Aging.pdf
http://www.cdc.gov/aging/pdf/mental_health.pdf
3
http://mhtransformation.wa.gov/pdf/mhtg/10%20Facts%20About%20Mental%20Health%20and%20Aging.pdf
4
http://www.nami.org/Content/ContentGroups/Home4/Home_Page_Spotlights/Spotlight_1/Guidebook.pdf
5
http://jah.sagepub.com/content/23/3/481.abstract?etoc
6
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
7
The NSDUH Report, September 1, 2011 http://oas.samhsa.gov
2

Suicide is a risk among older adults.
o Older adults have the highest suicide rate in the country. Those aged 85+ have the highest suicide
rate; those aged 75-84 have second highest.
o Older adults’ suicide attempts are more lethal. For those 65+, there is 1 suicide for every 4 attempts
compared to 1 suicide for every 20 attempts for all other age groups.
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.
Older adults can be helped with the same success as younger people.
o 80% of older adults recovered from depression after receiving treatment that included both
psychotherapy and anti-depressant medication.
o In addition, research has indicated that treating depression in older adults often improves the
outcomes of co-existing medical conditions.
o Studies showed that patients age 70 and older who became symptom-free and continued to take
their medication for two more years were 60 percent less likely to relapse than those who
discontinued their medications.9
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,
Substance Abuse Services
Mary Edwards
NC Division of Aging and Adult Services
Mary.Edwards@dhhs.nc.gov
Debbie.Webster@dhhs.nc.gov
NC Mental Health and Aging Coalition website: http://www.med.unc.edu/aging/cgec/nc-mental-health-andaging%20
Focusing attention, building capacity, supporting action
9
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/older-adults-and-depression/older-adults-and-depression.pdf