It’s common to think of negative mental health conditions as something that happens to people when they’re young. However, many older adults experience them as well. Maybe you’re already asking yourself if it’s normal to feel anxious as you age, and the answer is yes. When we reach middle age and beyond, a lot changes.

Here are 5 ways aging can negatively affect your mental health: 

1. Anxiety
2. Dementia and Alzheimer’s
3. Depression
4. Social isolation
5. Physical to Mental Decline

Anxiety

Many people will commonly feel the sharp sting of anxiety at some point in their lives — whether the effects come from everyday tasks, catastrophic events, or a combination of the two. Those who are elderly and suffering from mental issues can find that this anxiety becomes much more severe because of the physical effects of aging.

Anxiety is common with older adults due to a number of factors, including changes in the nervous system and experience of stressful life events, showing itself in many different ways — anger, negative self-talk and outright depression.

Dementia and Alzheimer’s

One of the main issues many of us face as we get older is memory loss. This is especially true as Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia become more prevalent in persons 60 years old and over. The loss of abilities to perform simple daily tasks, as well as medical issues like dementia, can also leave a person living alone vulnerable to feelings of depression and isolation. In fact, those recently diagnosed with dementia are with increased risk of suicide.

Depression

The fact is, over time we all age. Our mood and personality changes as we age, and depressive symptoms may be the result of these changes; however, depression is not considered a normal part of aging. That being said, older adults are at an increased risk for experiencing depression due to changes in the brain and chronic health conditions such as heart disease.

Depression is a serious condition that needs to be diagnosed, but since depression is incorrectly viewed as a “natural reaction to change,” most older adults fail to seek treatment. Watch for signs of depression in yourself and your loved ones, such as feelings of sadness lasting most of the day, nearly every day, for a period of two weeks or longer.

If you think you or your loved ones are struggling, consider seeing a psychologist for depression.

Social Isolation

Social isolation is a major age-related problem. Many elderly people face this condition, especially when living alone and having no new interests, friends or hobbies. As they grow older, adults may also stop doing things that used to bring joy and comfort but suddenly feels irrelevant — such as sex — or even something vital, like eating. While a psychologist can’t do anything about aging itself, they can take social isolation seriously and develop appropriate solutions to deal with it.

Physical to Mental Decline

As we get older, the physical characteristics of our body begin to change. Our muscles grow weaker, and even how quickly we heal from an injury such as a fall or cut can be affected by age. An older person may need more time to recover from a cut than a younger person, for example.

Emotions are as intricately linked to physical changes as they are to our minds. As a result, a person’s emotional state (happy or sad) can be influenced by the physical effects of aging. People who lack good coping skills will often experience emotional setbacks, while those who grow adaptable to change or work on maintaining their emotional well-being can overcome most obstacles.

Psychologist for Aging Issues in Nashville, TN

Although there is no cure for aging, as long as you understand how aging affects your mental health, you can be sure to combat anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses. Seeing a psychologist for aging issues is an opportunity to find out what the mind is doing and why it’s behaving in this way.

Contact Dr. Phil Chanin, a psychologist for aging issues in Nashville, TN.