Getting older brings about a lot of changes, some that are positive and some that are stressful. In small amounts, stress and anxiety can help you to stay alert to risks and motivate you to take action. However, longer lasting anxiety can be a warning signal about your stress level.
Anxiety symptoms, such as worry, nervousness, or panicky feelings, which last for weeks or months at a time, and which get in the way of living your life, are not a normal part of getting older. It is important to know when and who to ask for help.
Some describe older age as ‘the golden years,’ a fresh new chapter in life marked by the freedom of retirement and exciting possibilities; however, in reality, older age can introduce more stressors and hurdles to overcome. Experiencing big changes can worsen anxiety experienced earlier in life or even bring out new anxiety issues related to older age… but it doesn’t have to be this way!
If you or someone you love is struggling with anxiety in older age, know there is hope! Mental health specialists are learning more every day about older adults and there are excellent treatments available to help.
Why is paying attention to anxiety in older adults important?
Excessive anxiety can get in the way of enjoying your life and interfere with your day-to-day activities. It may stop you from doing things like going on a trip or out with friends—or even out for a walk. Anxiety can be like a little voice competing for your attention and distracting you from what you want to be focusing on.
You or a loved one may be tempted to think of anxiety as helpful since it’s meant to protect us. However, excessive anxiety causes suffering and hinders a fulfilling life. Though worry may sometimes feel beneficial, we must ask: Is it helping more than hurting? Many older adults suffer silently, unaware of anxiety’s impact. This is especially unfortunate since anxiety in older age is linked to disability, health risks, decreased quality of life, higher use of healthcare services, and higher risk of depression.
While that list sounds scary, remember: Anxiety can be treated, and your mental health can get better. Older adults will benefit from taking concrete steps to address anxiety and ultimately live the life they want.
How common is anxiety in older age?
The symptoms doctors look for to diagnose the most severe forms of anxiety in younger people don’t always apply to seniors. Anxiety disorders are often accompanied by physical symptoms like insomnia, fatigue, restlessness, and difficulty concentrating.
These physical symptoms may resemble another health challenge, causing medical professionals to write anxiety-related symptoms off as a physical issue; this makes it difficult to determine how common anxiety disorders are in older age.
Additionally, older adults may receive multiple prescriptions from doctors for different health issues that can cause side effects that mimic or directly increase anxiety.
Society has become much more open in recent decades to the concept of psychological suffering. All too often in the past, mental illness was thought of as a ‘weakness’ and described using cruel terms.
Even some soldiers during World War 1 were charged with cowardice when dealing with trauma and were punished rather than supported. Eventually, the concept of ‘shellshock’ was recognized, which has gradually evolved into our more modern understanding of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Those who grew up during the time of this evolving understanding of mental health may be more reluctant to come forward; they may fear judgment or causing family members to worry. Shame could cause older adults to avoid seeking help and a diagnosis of anxiety could go undiscovered, though an estimated 15% of seniors will suffer from an anxiety disorder at some point in older age.
How can you recognize excessive anxiety in older age?
It’s easy to detect excessive anxiety if someone says that they’re anxious, but evidently, some people may not always feel comfortable expressing a psychological concern. If they are not used to opening up about mental health, they may also not know how to describe their symptoms. So, how can you recognize a problem in yourself or someone else? Look for clues.
While an older adult may not directly say that they feel anxious, they might use other descriptors, like “fretting,” “overthinking,” and having “nerves” or a racing mind.
When we suspect anxiety in older people, it’s also helpful to consider the issues people face in older age. This stage of life is characterized by many transitions. Loved ones and friends may pass away, leading to loneliness. Retirement may bring new financial worries and loss of meaning. Physical health can decline, forcing people to change lifestyles or to live with new issues like pain. These issues tend to shape the types of worries that older adults can experience.
To an extent, worrying about these themes is understandable. However, clues like extreme or excessive worry that starts to severely restrict a person’s life and day-to-day ability to get by may require further investigation.
How can you get help for yourself or someone else with anxiety in older age?
The first step to getting help is recognizing that there are excellent treatments for anxiety at any age and that it can improve! Once you’re past that, consider that many older adults with excessive anxiety have suffered with it at various intensities throughout their lives. They may never have realized this or sought help before.
Given this, don’t be surprised if it takes some time to adjust to the idea that the anxiety is causing more harm than good and needs to be addressed or treated. Try to be compassionate and patient with yourself or the loved one you want to support. We all have ‘blind spots,’ and though it may seem clear that a loved one has an anxiety issue, they may be oblivious to the problem.
A screening assessment from a primary care provider, like a family doctor or nurse practitioner, is always an important first step.
Professionals check to ensure that the symptoms aren’t due to another medical issue that requires attention, and they can also help patients explore treatments for anxiety. Beyond primary care, counsellors, psychologists, geriatric psychiatrists, and geriatricians are qualified to help assess and treat excessive anxiety.
Anxiety treatment and self-care
Treatment itself can take many forms. As a foundation, basic education on anxiety and how it can become excessive is very helpful. Pointing someone you’re worried about to this page or other Anxiety Canada resources is a good first step.
Some people accept their situation by reading through resources and digesting the information slowly before feeling ready to approach a professional.
Source: anxietycanada.com
What types of anxiety are seen in older age?
Older Adults experience all the same forms of anxiety as younger people, but some are more or less common with age. Many of these problems first start in earlier age groups and continue into old age, but some are also not first identified until later.
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
• Phobias and fear of falling
• Agoraphobia and panic
• Health anxiety
• Social anxiety
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
