Stigma Around Mental Health: Why It Matters for Older Adults
When you face challenges with your mental health, how do you address them? According to the World Health Organization, around 14% of senior adults live with a mental disorder. These include dementia and other memory-related disorders, as well as depression, anxiety, and more.
Carroll is an ideal area to live in if you're focusing on mental health. The town's idyllic, bucolic nature helps to keep your mind clear, while our focus on local culture integrates you fully into small-town living. The rolling hills, nearby parks, and local streams and canals are excellent attractions for nature lovers!
How does the stigma around mental health impact our seniors? Read on for a brief overview of the stigma against mental health and how we can combat it.
The Stigma Around Mental Health
What is a stigma? A stigma is a negative preconception or idea relating to a subject or demographic.
For seniors, the stigma against mental health is somewhat generational. Younger generations have embraced and focused on mental health, battling the stigma valiantly. In older generations, there are still many who don't believe mental health conditions exist!
According to Health In Aging, seniors are significantly less likely to speak about mental health when compared to younger generations. A main factor in this is the fear of public shaming, though there has been improvement over the years.
Where's the Stigma Come From?
The stigma against mental health exists across nearly all ages and demographics, but is particularly prevalent in older generations. For the most part, this is a cultural difference.
According to Mental Health in Family Medicine, many seniors see struggles with mental health as a sign of weakness. These troubles contribute to seniors hesitating or refusing to reach out.
A fear of loss of independence also influences this. Many seniors are worried that they'll lose independence if they raise an alarm over their mental health.
Such concerns over independence are often assuaged by robust and helpful assisted living arrangements. Browse our assisted living offerings to see how we can help you preserve independence.
Mental Health and Neurological Conditions
Some also fail to consider the link between dementia and mental health. Many people instead see these struggles as a natural, normal sign of aging.
These opinions often have an ageist bias to them. Senior mental health should not be pushed under the rug as a normality. Instead, we must remove the stigma and look after elder wellness.
Stigma's Effect on Mental Health
Does stigma have such a negative effect? Is there a tangible impact on the emotional health of seniors, or are aging and stigma unrelated?
Stigma has a substantial impact on seniors. The largest issue is that this stigma stops many seniors from reaching out for assistance.
For many, this comes down to shame. A stigma has a negative connotation, and many feel that mental health is something to be ashamed of. As a result, many seniors don't feel comfortable discussing their health.
The result is a barrier between communication and wellness. Many will suffer in silence, meaning they never get the proper care.
It also causes feelings of isolation due to the senior not feeling heard. The isolation only worsens the mental health of a senior who's already struggling.
According to Psychiatry.org, many other issues remain, such as:
- Reduced hope
- Low self-esteem
- Struggling in professional and personal endeavors
- Increased symptoms
- Difficulty maintaining personal connections
These issues compound a severe condition. Working to end the stigma around mental health in seniors helps us lessen these symptoms.
How to Defeat the Stigma
It's easy to understand why we need to work to remove the stigma around the mental health of seniors. But how can we provide emotional care for seniors?
While it can seem impossible, we have many ways to do so. Here are the main ways for us to offer behavioral health support.
Highlighting Education
The most important step is to work on education. People of all ages are unaware of many of the issues surrounding mental health.
The misunderstanding of conditions like dementia helps push this issue to the forefront. Furthermore, the idea that these conditions are expected and normal makes us believe that mental health struggles are standard.
Removing this stigma starts with education. Many social activities focus on mental health awareness as well. Browse our upcoming activities to see what we have planned.
Feel For Each Other
Empathy can also help to remove the stigma. Unfortunately, some approach mental health with an "out of sight, out of mind" view.
For conditions like depression and anxiety that aren't as visible, this is especially troubling. Having empathy for someone's struggles can help us to spot when they need help.
Stay Social
Another great way to remove the stigma is to focus on socializing with each other. It's much easier to forget about a silly stigma if you're socializing with people who have similar experiences.
Here at Carroll Place, we're proud to offer a wide array of ways to socialize and stay active. Browse our activity calendar to learn more!
Encourage Treatment
Finally, encouraging seniors to seek treatment is paramount.. While taking such a large step is intimidating, it's the best way for seniors to see that there's nothing to be ashamed of.
Managing Emotional Care for Seniors
The stigma around mental health is exceptionally detrimental to seniors' well-being. Stigma causes seniors to refuse treatment, isolate themselves, and suffer in silence to avoid guilt and shame. Working to undo this stigma is paramount to taking care of our seniors.
At Carroll Place Assisted Living, we're committed to providing our community members with everything they need to focus on their mental health. We're proud to offer our residents a variety of activities, from bingo and live entertainment to creative kitchen fun and exciting movie nights. Our focus on entertaining, creative fun and emphasis on social interaction will help to keep your mental health up as well!
Contact us to see how we can help your golden years shine. We're happy to discuss our robust living options with you to see what fits best.