Emerging Issues in Mental Health and Aging

This work lays the groundwork for determining and meeting the mental health needs of those over 65 in the years 2010 to 2030. It covers a range of issues, from promotion of positive mental health to serious mental illness, describing crucial practice, and research and policy issues.

---

Between 2010 and 2030, the number of people in the United States who are over age 65 will grow from what is now 1 in 8 to 1 in 5. The mental health needs of these older individuals will grow during this period not simply because of this increase in numbers, but also because the baby-boom generation who will form this cohort has already shown relatively higher rates of mental disorders and are more likely to seek help than provious generations. This multidisciplinary book lays the groundwork for determining and meeting the mental health needs of this population. It presents a continuum of needs and services from promotion of positive mental health to serious mental illness, delineating crucial practice, research and policy issues that will need to be addressed and recommending solutions to what may be the most challenging problems in meeting the mental health needs of our older population. This book should be of interest to researchers and practitioners in psychology, psychiatry, social work and nursing, as well as federal, state and local policy-makers who must make decisions now to help set the agenda for mental health and ageing in the 21st century.