Breaking the Stigma of Mental Health: A Guide for Seniors

If you've ever tried talking about mental health with elderly loved ones, you likely encountered resistance. Often, seniors say they simply didn't talk about these topics back in their day.

Sadly, many seniors here in Allen, TX, grew up in an era where mental health conditions were not well-understood. Those who suffered from depression or anxiety usually chose to mask their symptoms. People who couldn't keep their illness under wraps often faced discrimination.

Senior mental health awareness is certainly improving, but breaking the stigma of mental health is an ongoing fight.

Are you interested in learning more about reducing stigma in aging? Read on to learn about this crucial aspect of emotional wellness for seniors.

Understanding Stigma and Mental Health

According to the Centers for Disease Control, mental health stigma refers to beliefs and attitudes that look down on those with mental illness. Stigma about mental illness means half-truths and distorted facts, presented in a way that harms the people who suffer from them.

For example, think of how popular movies and TV shows present mental illness. If a character is mentally ill, there's a good chance they're dangerous, unpredictable, and scary.

People often consider those with psychotic spectrum disorders, like Schizophrenia or Schizotypal Personality Disorder, to be potentially dangerous. In reality, a study from Fazel et al. demonstrates how people with these disorders are no more violent than average.

This is a clear example of mental health stigma. Someone with Schizophrenia is no more likely to attack you than any average person you'd run into on the street. But if people know you have this disorder, they might not feel safe around you.

As you can see, breaking the stigma of mental health disorders is all about changing people's perceptions.

What is Internal Stigma?

There's another type of stigma that isn't about how other people treat you; it's about how you perceive yourself. Internal mental health stigma occurs when you've heard so many negative and harmful stereotypes that you start to believe in them.

For example, many seniors believe that asking for help for conditions like depression or anxiety is a sign of weakness. This could make them avoid seeking treatment. When people with mental health problems don't know how to talk about their problems, they might feel unsafe.

Breaking internal stigma is only possible within a caring community. 

What is Organizational Stigma?

Organizational stigma is when a formal organization, like a workplace or hospital, has harmful views about mental health. Sometimes these harmful views are enforced by top-down policies. Or sometimes, it's less direct, and there's more of a cultural problem.

For example, if a senior went to the doctor, and a doctor discounted symptoms consistent with depression as part of "normal aging," it could indicate mental health stigma at the organizational level.

The key to breaking the stigma of mental health at the organizational level is adjusting policy and increasing awareness.

Emotional Wellness for Seniors: How Mental Illness Presents in Seniors

According to the National Institute on Aging, mental health difficulties such as depression and anxiety are not a normal part of aging. Most of the time, there are effective treatments available, but the pressures of mental health stigma mean that many seniors neglect or mask these problems.

Diagnosis difficulties are further confounded by the way these conditions present in the elderly. Older people suffering from depression, for example, are likely to be more irritable, to experience sleep problems, and to withdraw from social interactions.

Unfortunately, these are quite consistent with the stereotypical view of old age, meaning that many seniors experiencing these difficulties discount them. Healthcare providers and loved ones also make the same mistakes, and so, seniors with highly treatable mental illnesses don't get the treatment they need.

Another factor that makes diagnosis more difficult is that seniors tend to have other co-occurring health problems, many of which have overlapping symptoms with things like depression and anxiety. Given the generational attitude of downplaying your internal struggles, seniors are very likely to mask their symptoms and downplay them out of fear of judgment or shame.

So, it's crucial that we normalize talking about these things to enable seniors to feel more comfortable opening up to healthcare professionals, senior support workers, and their friends and family.

Breaking the Stigma of Mental Health: The Key Role of Family Support

Family support is the cornerstone of mental health treatment. The attitude within your family unit towards mental health can have a huge impact on treatment outcomes.

According to the American Psychological Association, those who have a supportive family in which talking about mental illness is normalized are most likely to have favorable health care outcomes compared to those who face mental health stigma in their family.

Seniors carry long-held beliefs about the nature of mental illness, and younger members of the family may unconsciously inherit some of these problematic attitudes. So, you should focus on helping elderly loved ones change their attitude, but you should also reflect on your own perceptions and biases.

By examining your own views, you'll be much better prepared for meaningful and effective support. Mental health struggles aren't something you should hide. Being honest and open with your family can relieve a surprising amount of pressure and stress.

Discover a Supportive Community

Here in Allen, TX, harmful attitudes towards mental health are discouraging seniors from seeking support. The key to enabling more effective mental health support in Allen, TX, is breaking the stigma of mental health. This challenge is bigger than any individual; it will take collaboration and dialogue between healthcare organizations, senior care communities, and families.

Are you looking for a senior living community in Allen, TX that enables an independent lifestyle with round-the-clock support available when it's needed? Here at Parkview in Allen, we believe in taking a comprehensive approach to senior emotional health.

Are you interested in learning more about our Parkview in Allen resources or seeing our supportive community for yourself? Contact us today and let's set up a tour.