Mental disorders can also negatively affect the ability of older people to recover from other health problems. Heart attacks are five times more likely to be fatal for a person who is depressed. The risk of death for nursing home residents with major depression is 60 percent higher than for residents who do not have this mental disorder. The onset of their disorders varies widely in older adults with mental illness. Some have suffered from serious and persistent mental illness most of their adult life, while others have had periodic episodes of mental illness.
Many people experience mental disorders or mental health problems for the first time late in life.
Bereavement of loved ones or other losses that occur in old age frequently exacerbate these problems. Mental disorders also range in severity, from problematic, to disabling to fatal. Unfortunately, while effective treatments exist for many common mental disorders, there are still barriers to identifying and treating mental disorders in older adults. Many people mistakenly believe that mental disorders like depression or dementia are normal in older people and that no effective treatments are available. Another myth suggests that older people cannot change, experience psychological and spiritual growth, or contribute to society.