Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services

Mental health

Achieving and maintaining the best possible mental health

Older adults are living and enjoying good health longer than ever before.

Mental health is often negatively defined as absence of illness or impairment. Yet mental health is a positive state resulting in productive activities, fulfilling relationships with other people, and the ability to adapt to change and cope with adversity. Learn more.

Most older adults enjoy good mental health. However, an estimated 22 percent of older adults in the community experience mental disorders that are not a part of normal aging. Learn more...

New breakthroughs in pharmacology and methods for detecting and diagnosing mental illness are increasing health care providers' ability to treat and control many of the mental disorders that affect older people. Learn more.

Primary care physicians are often considered the gatekeepers for mental health services for the estimated 85 percent of older people who visit their offices at least once a year. Learn more.

Under-diagnosis and lack of appropriate treatment can have severe consequences, especially in cases of depression. Learn more.

In Texas , a Suicide Prevention Plan Steering Committee comprising a diverse group of professionals and interested individuals has created a suicide-prevention plan based on the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention: Goals and Objectives for Action. Learn more.

Older adults in the community are less likely than younger populations to utilize mental health services. Many older adults reject an association with the mental health system due to the social stigmas attached to mental illness. Learn more.

Systematic barriers such as availability further limit service access for many people over 65 who live in suburban or rural areas. Transportation to and from mental health services may be unavailable to those who do not own or cannot operate a vehicle. Learn more.

It is increasingly evident to policy-makers that the current mental health system does not adequately serve existing need. Services are often fragmented due to structural, organizational and financial constraints, as well as lack of providers trained to care for older adults with mental impairments. Furthermore, there are increasing disparities between those who receive services, and those who do not. Learn more.

The President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health was established to ensure that Americans with mental illness do not fall through the cracks in the service delivery system, that lives are not lost, and that recovery is a realistic goal of treatment. Learn more.

The Texas Mental Health and Aging Coalition is a diverse group of state agencies, public and private organizations and individuals. It provides opportunities for professional, consumer, and government organizations to collaboratively improve the availability and quality of mental health preventive and treatment strategies through education, research, and increased public awareness. Learn more.

Resources

Mental Health Issue PDF Icon
Mental Health facts, trends and issues

The letters PDF or symbol PDF Icon indicate a document is in the Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). To view the file you will need the Adobe® Reader® which is available for free from the Adobe web site. You can also download the free Acrobat Accessibility Reader for PDFs.

Updated: November 2, 2007