Mental-Health Issues a Burden for Older Minority Adults

Almost 20 percent of older adults have one or more mental-health conditions, and their mental-health needs can be especially complicated on account of co-occurring physical health problems, writes University of Miami Professor Danny Jimenez in the Miami Herald . "Chronic mental and physical illnesses can be especially burdensome for older racial or ethnic minority adults who are disproportionately exposed to poverty and lower education, which are widely recognized as critical risk factors for both psychological distress and mental illness," he states. Older minority adults' difficulties are further compounded by fewer socioeconomic resources and less help and care from the mental-health system. "Furthermore, even when they seek treatment, older adults of color are less likely to receive adequate mental-health care and tend to drop out of treatment early," Jimenez writes. Despite this, new research related to health promotion can help ease older minority adults' depression and anxiety. "Health-promotion strategies are those that use counseling strategies to equip participants with the necessary knowledge and skills to modify and sustain a healthy diet, increased physical activity, and/or improved sleep," Jimenez notes. "By treating mental-health problems through health and wellness, we are addressing the multiple mental- and physical-health disparities experienced by minorities. Such an approach could be an alternative for those who are who are concerned worried about prescription drug side effects or are uncomfortable talking to a mental-health specialist."