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Older adults are at an increased risk for mental health issues, yet they are less likely to seek professional help. This systematic review aims to identify and summarize literature on the barriers and facilitators that older adults face when seeking professional mental health help. A total of eight cross-sectional studies, from Australia, United States, Mexico, Netherlands, and Malaysia met the inclusion criteria for this review.
Included studies reported that the majority of their participants had anxiety or depression, yet they exhibited a preference for informal mental health help over professional help. Stigma, negative beliefs about mental health professional services, and cost were the most reported barriers. Main reported facilitators were prior positive experience with mental health services and high socioeconomic status. Older adults are in need of interventions normalizing mental health help seeking and ensuring these services are accessible in terms of costs.
This should be the focus of policy makers, healthcare providers, and public health practitioners working with older adults. It is estimated that million people were living with a mental health disorder in , which translates to more than one in eight people globally [ 1 ]. Contrary to the common believe, developing a mental health disorder is not a normal part of ageing [ 2 ]. These illnesses account for Despite the burden of mental health illness on older adults, they are unlikely to seek mental health help [ 3 ].
The lower the help-seeking, the higher the burden and costs of mental health issues and the lower the life expectancy [ 5 ]. Many of these older adults go through major life changes that can range from losing loved ones, retirement, and dealing with physical illnesses.
