title: Unmet mental health and substance abuse treatment needs of sexual minority elders.
abstract: In a survey exploring the reliability and validity of a screening tool, we explored the substance abuse and mental health issues among 371 elders; 74 were sexual minorities. Analyses by age group indicated that elders 55-64 years had significantly more problems with substance abuse, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts compared to those 65 and older. Bisexuals reported significantly greater problems with depression, anxiety, and suicidality than either heterosexual or lesbian or gay elders. Mental health and substance abuse treatment utilization was low among all elders with problems. Implications for assessment, access to care, and group-specific services delivery are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences and The Institute for Health & Aging, University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing, 3333 California Street, Suite 340, San Francisco, CA 94143-0646, USA. marty.jessup@ucsf.edu
authors.forename: Martha A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Jessup
authors.forename: Suzanne L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Dibble
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001727:Bisexuality / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006306:Health Surveys; D018452:Homosexuality, Female / Q000523:psychology; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008913:Minority Groups; D011581:Psychological Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D019529:Sexuality / Q000523:psychology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires