“Despite great strides in our understanding of mental illness and vast improvements in the dialogue surrounding it, too many still suffer in silence.” This is the very first sentence in this year’s Presidential Proclamation for National Mental Health Awareness Month. As America’s population ages, the need for mental and behavioral health services continues to grow. Unfortunately there are many myths about aging and mental disorders, such as anxiety and depression being normal signs of aging. Too often such generalized statements are the cause of older adults being under diagnosed or overlooked for problems that are very treatable. However, even the normal physical and emotional stresses that go along with aging can be risk factors for mental illnesses like anxiety and depression.
