Mental Health

is Ageless

Good

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment

Center for Mental Health Services

www.samhsa.gov
A healthy mind is 

as important as a

healthy body.

Good mental health can 

help you:

• Enjoy life more.

• Handle difficult situations.

• Stay better connected to your 

family, your friends, and your 

community.

• Keep your body strong.

1

Being in good mental health

doesn’t mean that you’ll

never feel sad, lonely, or

‘down.’ But when these 

feelings disrupt your life or

go on too long, there may be

a bigger problem.

2
Unusual feelings of sadness or 

depression can happen when

In addition to feelings of depression, some of the following

changes in behavior may suggest other emotional problems:

• You have to move from your home.

• People you love get sick or die.

• You have to depend on others to get around,

or even to do the simple things you used to do

yourself.

• Physical health problems seem overwhelming.

• Being easily upset

• Not having the energy to do the

things you want to do, or used 

to do

• Changing sleep habits

• Increasing forgetfulness

• Being afraid of things

• Changes in eating habits

• Neglecting housework 

• Crying a lot

• Having trouble managing money

• Believing that you can’t do 

anything worthwhile

• Being confused

• Getting lost a lot

• Staying alone a lot of the time

• Spending little or no time 

with friends

• Feeling hopeless or overwhelmed

• Thinking life isn’t worth living

• Thinking about hurting yourself

3 4
Here are some things you

can do if depression or

other changes in your

behavior last longer than

two weeks:

• Talk with your doctor or other health

care professional.Tell them exactly

how you’re feeling, and let them know

how this is different from the way you

used to feel.They can check for any 

problems you may be having, and can

discuss treatment options with you.

• Share your feelings with a friend,

family member or spiritual advisor.

These people can sometimes notice

changes that you might not see.

5

• Ask for advice from a staff member

at a senior center or other program

you participate in.

• Call for information from the

National Eldercare Locator at 

1-800-677-1116, or speak with the

Federal Center for Mental Health

Services (CMHS) by calling 1-800-

789-2647 or visiting its Web site at

www.cmhs.samhsa.gov. These 

organizations can help you find a

program or provider near you.

• Check your local yellow pages for

organizations that can help.

6

© Matthew McVay/Getty Images/Stone
Call the National Eldercare Locator at:

1-800-677-1116

Call the Federal Center for Mental

Health Services (CMHS) at:

1-800-789-2647

or visit www.cmhs.samhsa.gov

Check the box below to see 

if a mental health program or provider

near you has listed its address and/or

phone number.

For Health Care Professionals:

Do not reproduce or distribute this publication for a fee without

specific, written authorization from the Office of Communications,

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services.

This brochure was created to accompany the publication Substance

Abuse Among Older Adults, #26 in CSAT’s Treatment Improvement

Protocol (TIP) series. The TIP series and its affiliated products are

available free from SAMHSA’s National Clearinghouse for Alcohol

and Drug Information (NCADI). Call 1-800-729-6686 or 1-800-487-

4889 TDD (for the hearing impaired), or visit www.csat.samhsa.gov.

DHHS Publication No. [SMA] 02-3618

Printed 2001

At any age, help can support growth,

discovery, recovery, and happiness.