NIMH Pages about Older Adults

Overview of Older Adults…

Publications about Older Adults

Older Adults and Depression

Depression is not a normal part of aging. This brochure describes the signs, symptoms, and treatment options of depression in older adults. En Español

Older Adults: Depression and Suicide Facts (Fact Sheet)

A brief overview of the statistics on depression and suicide in older adults, with information on depression treatments and suicide prevention

Science News about Older Adults

Ethnic Disparities Persist in Depression Diagnosis and Treatment Among Older Americans

Science Update • January 26, 2012

Older racial and ethnic minorities living in the community are less likely to be diagnosed with depression than their white counterparts, but are also less likely to get treated, according to a recent NIMH-funded analysis published online ahead of print December 15, 2011, in the American Journal of Public Health.

Use of Antipsychotics in Alzheimer’s Patients May Lead to Detrimental Metabolic Changes

Science Update • April 15, 2009

Atypical antipsychotic medications are associated with weight gain and other metabolic changes among patients with Alzheimer’s disease, according to a recent analysis of data from the NIMH-funded Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness—Alzheimer’s Disease (CATIE-AD) study. The study was published online ahead of print April 15, 2009, in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Brain Awareness Week Teaches Kids How Their Brains Work

Press Release • March 17, 2009

The 10th annual Brain Awareness Week (BAW), a science and health education fair held in various locations across the United States, teaches fifth through eighth grade students about the brain. In Washington, D.C., it will take place March 16-20, 2009, at the National Museum of Health and Medicine at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Several institutes from the National Institutes of Health will provide interactive exhibits and lectures focusing on brain health and neuroscience on March 18th and 19th.

Health Care Costs Much Higher for Older Adults with Depression Plus Other Medical Conditions

Science Update • February 13, 2009

Medicare participants who have diabetes or congestive heart failure as well as depression have significantly higher health care costs than their counterparts who do not have co-existing depression, according to a recent NIMH-funded analysis published online ahead of print January 16, 2009, in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society.

Antipsychotic Medications May Ease Some Alzheimer’s Symptoms, Not Others

Science Update • June 23, 2008

Antipsychotic medications may lessen symptoms like hostility and aggression in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, but do not appear to lessen other symptoms or improve quality of life, according to a recent analysis of data from the NIMH-funded Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness Alzheimer’s Disease (CATIE-AD) study.

More Science News about Older Adults

Meeting Summaries about Older Adults

Current Issues in Psychosocial Intervention Research in Late-Life Mental Disorders

September 01, 2006
Arlington, Virginia
NIMH’s Geriatrics Research Branch in the Division of Adult Translational Research and Treatment Development (DATR) organized this multidisciplinary workshop, held in Arlington, Virginia in September 2006.