Older Adults with Mental Illness

• Are you an adult over 60 looking for information and services?
• Are you a family member seeking resources for an older adult?
• Are you a caregiver?

Older adults with mental illness have unique needs, with a greater likelihood of also dealing with the usual challenges of aging — physical health problems, isolation, coping with loss and reduced independence, and needs for caregiving. Living a full life with mental illness is possible, as is recovering from mental illness, so it's important to get help. Support is available — as a starting point, check out Ventura County Local Resources listed on the right.

SEEKING PROFESSIONAL HELP

A lot of times, people don't get help for mental illness, often because they're embarassed about it or not sure what to do. When a person needs help with their mental health, they should get help as soon as possible, just like they would seek help immediately for any other health issue. When mental health issues are ignored, they can get worse and affect your thinking, communication, learning, emotional growth, resilience, and self-esteem.

There is a wide range of professional and community resources to choose from for mental health problems. In general, it is a good idea to seek professional help for a mental health problem when:

• A symptom does not get better on its own
• A symptom becomes severe
• A symptom does not respond to self-care or help from family or friends
• Symptoms become numerous and affect all areas of your life

If you are thinking about hurting yourself or someone else, get help immediately.

Do you have questions about medication, how to help or other related issues? See FAQs, For More Information and How to Talk About Mental Illness.

For an introduction to mental health and illness, see the links on the lower right, including Depression, Anxiety, and Serious Mental Disorders.

Have you ever heard someone implying that mental illnesses is contagious? See Myths and Facts for that and other common myths.

If you have suggestions for other topics and resources that would be useful to find here, please let us know – email mhsa@ventura.org.