Perceived need for mental health care among community-dwelling older adults.
Only half of older adults with a mental disorder use mental health services, and little is known about the causes of perceived need for mental health care (MHC). We used logistic regression to examine relationships among depression, anxiety, chronic physical illness, alcohol abuse and/or dependence, sociodemographics, and perceived need among a national sample of community-dwelling individuals 65 years of age and older (the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys data set). Less than half of respondents with depression or anxiety perceived a need for care. Perceived need was greater for respondents with more symptoms of depression regardless of whether they met diagnostic criteria for a mental illness. History of chronic physical conditions, history of depression or anxiety, and more severe mental illness were associated with greater perceived need for MHC. Future studies of perceived need should account for individual perceptions of mental illness and treatment and the influence of social networks.
Garrido
Melissa M
MM
Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA. mnelson@ifh.rutgers.edu
Kane
Robert L
RL
Kaas
Merrie
M
Kane
Rosalie A
RA
D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000523:psychology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003469:Culture; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation