How Does Stigma Affect Mental Health in Older Adults?

Does it feel like no one talks about mental health, especially compared to the younger generations of today? Well, it's not just your imagination. Because of mental health stigma, many seniors here in Voorhees, NJ, just don't feel comfortable discussing these topics.

Getting seniors to be more open about struggles with depression, anxiety, or other mental illnesses can help them get treatment and improve self-esteem. Sadly, many can't get past the barrier of mental health stigma.

So, how does stigma affect mental health, and what can we do to improve healthy aging awareness about mental health? Read on to learn more about this crucial topic.

How does Stigma Affect Mental Health?

For seniors here in Voorhees, NJ, the emotions and pressures of mental health problems can sometimes form an unbreakable barrier. Instead of dealing with senior emotional health constructively, they bottle up their feelings. A big reason for that is because of mental health stigma.

Stigma is a complicated psychological and sociological concept, but essentially, it's all about bias and shame. Because of stigma, seniors struggling with mental health conditions like depression or anxiety have a distorted impression of the experience.

Not only does this lower self-esteem, but it also has some more practical consequences. For example, according to a study by Conner et al., seniors facing mental health stigma are significantly less likely to ask their doctor for help.

Why Are Seniors So Susceptible?

Seniors are quite susceptible to mental health stigma. A big reason for that is a different generational attitude, but there's more to it than that. Here are some of the biggest reasons seniors are susceptible to mental health stigmatization:

• Generational difference: Today's seniors grew up in an era where mental illness was rarely discussed.
• Self-reliance: Seniors were also raised to be stoic and self-reliant.
• Misconceptions: Seniors often have misconceptions about the nature of mental health conditions.
• Lack of trust: Dated ideas about mental healthcare make older adults wary.
• Negative media portrayals: The media of the past often depicted mental health in a negative light.
• Fear of losing independence: Older adults might fear loss of independence if they ask for help.

As you can see, some of these attitudes are quite different from those of later generations. If you want to learn effective strategies for offering support for older adults in NJ, you also need to understand the different types of mental health stigma.

Three Faces of Mental Health Bias

Mental health stigma is an incredibly complex topic, with many social science researchers devoting their entire academic career to understanding this barrier to mental wellness. Through this research, three broad categories of mental health bias emerge.

Understanding these types of stigma is crucial if families and senior communities want to help in the fight against aging and stigma.

Societal Level Stereotyping

As you may have realized by now, mental health stigma starts at the societal level. No one is born with these biased attitudes towards mental health. No one knows what depression or anxiety is until someone explains it to them.

The type of explanation someone gets has a huge influence on mental health perceptions. As a child, if you only hear about these things in the same hushed tones your parents reserve for extramarital affairs or the incarceration of a relative, you probably won't feel optimistic about disclosing your own struggles.

On the other hand, if authority figures in your life are open about their own emotional struggles, encourage younger family members to also speak up, and listen without judgment, you'll have a positive outlook.

Of course, societal-level stigma happens outside your immediate family, too. Even if you have positive role models at home, there are often harmful depictions of mental health everywhere. For example, think of the last movie or TV show you watched with a mentally ill character.

Chances are, it wasn't a very sympathetic depiction. The only way to address societal-level bias is to slowly change people's attitudes by encouraging honest conversation.

Self-Stigma and Negative Self-Image

When societal stigma is pervasive enough, it can have profound effects on individual psychology. If someone suffering from depression hears nothing but bias and negativity about the condition, they might start taking those ideas seriously.

For example, a common and harmful stereotype about depression suggests that those suffering from it are just using it as an excuse for laziness. Our modern understanding of depression proves this isn't true, but when you're constantly exposed to these biased opinions, you internalize them and start believing that's really who you are.

According to a study by Kang and Kim, internalized stigma does more than discourage people from seeking treatment. In fact, mental health stigma can actively harm mental health, causing worse healthcare outcomes for those experiencing it.

The best way to deal with internalized stigma is to address bias at the societal level. Without societal stigma, communicating all these harmful ideas, internal stigma wouldn't be possible.

Institutionalized Prejudice

The final form of stigma occurs at the organizational level. So, how does stigma affect mental health in this area?

Organizations like hospitals, schools, and workplaces have to operate from a repertoire of tried and tested processes, routines, and systems. Over time, these qualities are ingrained into the organization, and making changes or seeing things from another perspective gets harder.

Sadly, this often results in organizational blind spots or bias. According to the World Health Organization, people are often reluctant to seek help for mental health challenges. Often, that's because they're afraid of institutionalized prejudice.

As this article has demonstrated, mental health conditions can present differently in seniors because of their unique generational attitude. Effective healthcare needs to adapt its approach to account for this. Unfortunately, some healthcare organizations are still catching up, resulting in sub-optimal outcomes for seniors.

Ready for Independent Living and Mental Wellness?

The stigma in Voorhees, NJ, makes many older adults reluctant to seek mental health care. Open communication is needed for real progress in clinics, senior homes, and family settings. By asking questions like "how does stigma affect mental health?" you're well on your way to providing effective senior support. 

Seaton Voorhees prioritizes emotional wellness every day, offering companionship and amenities such as scenic walking paths. Interested in independent living plus supportive services? Reach out to plan a visit or learn more about our community