Older Adults and Mental Health

• Noticeable changes in mood, energy level, or appetite
• Feeling flat or having trouble feeling positive emotions
• Difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much
• Difficulty concentrating, feeling restless, or on edge
• Increased worry or feeling stressed
• Anger, irritability, or aggressiveness
• Ongoing headaches, digestive issues, or pain
• Misuse of alcohol or drugs
• Sadness or hopelessness
• Suicidal thoughts
• Engaging in high-risk activities
• Obsessive thinking or compulsive behavior
• Thoughts or behaviors that interfere with work, family, or social life
• Engaging in thinking or behavior that is concerning to others
• Seeing, hearing, and feeling things that other people do not see, hear, or feel

Help is available: If you are unsure where to go for help, ask your health care provider or visit the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Help for Mental Illnesses webpage. Communicating well with your health care provider can improve your care and help you come up with a treatment plan that works for you. Read about tips to help prepare and get the most out of your visit. For additional resources, including questions to ask your health care provider, visit the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

If you or someone you know is in a crisis, get help immediately. You can call 911 or call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: The Lifeline provides 24-hour, confidential support to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Call or text 988 to connect with a trained crisis counselor (para ayuda en español, llame al 988). Support is also available in English via live chat.
• Veterans Crisis Line: This helpline is a free, confidential resource that connects veterans 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with a trained responder. The service is available to all veterans, even if they are not registered with the VA or enrolled in VA healthcare. Call 1-800-273-8255, press "1"; text 838255; or chat online to connect with 24/7 support.
• Crisis Text Line: Text HELLO to 741741 for free and confidential support 24 hours a day throughout the U.S. The Crisis Text Line serves anyone, in any type of crisis, connecting them with a crisis counselor who can provide support and information.
• Disaster Distress Hotline: This helpline from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration provides immediate crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster. The helpline is free, multilingual, confidential, and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call or text 1-800-985-5990.

Featured Health Topics

• Anxiety Disorders
• Bipolar Disorder
• Coping with Traumatic Events
• Depression
• Eating Disorders
• Medications: Older Adults
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Psychosis
• Suicide Prevention

Featured Brochures and Fact Sheets

Federal Resources

• Depression is Not a Normal Part of Growing Older: This Centers for Disease Control and Prevention webpage describes signs of depression and how depression can be different for older adults.
• Healthy Aging: This U.S. Department of Health and Human Services webpage lists links to health resources and services for older adults.
• Health Information Related to Aging: The National Institute on Aging offers health information on a variety of topics, including depression.
• Information About Older Adults: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration offers publications for and about older adults.
• Older Adult Mental Health: The National Library of Medicine’s MedlinePlus offers resources on aging and mental health (en español).

Multimedia

• Mental Health and Older Adults Facebook Live Q&A: Learn about mental and emotional wellness in later life, signs and symptoms of depression, and ways to maintain and improve mental health.

Research Resources

• NIMH Geriatrics and Aging Processes Research Branch: This NIMH branch supports programs of research, research mid-career development, and resource development in the etiology, pathophysiology, and course of mental disorders of late life, the relationships between aging and mental disorders, the treatment and recovery of persons with aging-related disorders, and the prevention of these disorders and their consequences.

Clinical trials are research studies that look at new ways to prevent, detect, or treat diseases and conditions. The goal of clinical trials is to determine if a new test or treatment works and is safe. Although individuals may benefit from being part of a clinical trial, participants should be aware that the primary purpose of a clinical trial is to gain new scientific knowledge so that others may be better helped in the future.

Researchers at NIMH and around the country conduct many studies with patients and healthy volunteers. We have new and better treatment options today because of what clinical trials uncovered years ago. Talk to your health care provider about clinical trials, their benefits and risks, and whether one is right for you.

To learn more or find a study, visit:

• NIMH’s Clinical Trials webpage: Information about participating in clinical trials

Why do clinical trials need older participants?

It is important for clinical trials to have participants of different ages, sexes, races, and ethnicities. When research involves a group of people who are similar, the findings may not apply to or benefit everyone. When clinical trials include diverse participants, the study results may have a much wider applicability.

Researchers need the participation of older people in their clinical trials so that scientists can learn more about how the new drugs, therapies, medical devices, surgical procedures, or tests will work for older people. For more information, check out NIA’s What Are Clinical Trials and Studies? tip sheet.

Last Reviewed: August 2022

Unless otherwise specified, NIMH information and publications are in the public domain and available for use free of charge. Citation of NIMH is appreciated. Please see our Citing NIMH Information and Publications page for more information.