Older people and mental health

Mental health is a state of wellbeing. Getting older can bring its share of challenges, such as loss of independence or grief. These can affect your mental health and increase the risk of depression, anxiety and suicide.

If feelings like sadness or worry are preventing you from getting the most out of life, help and support is available.

Your mental health is a central part of your overall wellbeing. If you don't have good mental health, you may be less physically well. You might also have poor self-esteem or feel less confident in your ability to face life and its challenges.

Keeping mentally healthy is important for your own day-to-day functioning, as well as for maintaining healthy relationships with others and enjoying life to the full. If you feel that your mental health is not as good as it could be, it's a good idea to seek support.

Many older people have mental health issues at some point. This may be due to:

• illness
• frailty and loss of independence
• grief and loss
• financial stress
• changing living arrangements
• increasing social isolation
• brain injury

It is important to reach out for support or speak to your doctor if you feel like your mood negatively impacts your day-to-day life.

If your doctor thinks that other health professionals should be involved, they can refer you to the right professional who can help. This could include a psychologist or psychiatrist who specialises in treating older people.

If you, or someone you know, is having suicidal thoughts and is in immediate danger, call triple zero (000). To talk to someone now, call Suicide Call Back Service (Opens in new tab) 1300 659 467 or Lifeline (Opens in new tab) on 13 11 14.

There are plenty of things you can do to improve your mental health and wellbeing:

• Eat well.
• Get enough sleep.
• Exercise regularly.
• Spend time with friends and family.
• Share feelings and stay in touch with others.
• Take part in enjoyable and relaxing activities.
• Volunteer and help others.

Get more tips to improve your mental health.

Remember that if you are struggling, there is plenty of help available.

Speaking to your doctor about your mental health is a good first step — if needed they can refer you to mental health support services that best suit your needs.

There are also several excellent organisations that older people can contact for help. They include:

• My Aged Care (Opens in new tab) — aged care services provided by the Australian government call 1800 200 422.
• Medicare Mental Health (Opens in new tab) — for advice and to get connected to local mental health services, you can call 1800 595 212. Check the operating times.
• Beyond Blue (Opens in new tab) — for people feeling depressed or anxious, call 1300 22 4636 or chat online.
• SANE Australia (Opens in new tab) — people living with a mental illness can access a range of free mental health support.
• Black Dog Institute (Opens in new tab) — online help for people affected by mood disorders.
• Lifeline (Opens in new tab) — for anyone having a personal crisis, call 13 11 14 or chat online.
• Suicide Call Back Service (Opens in new tab) — 24/7 counselling for anyone thinking about suicide, call 1300 659 467.
• Open Arms (Opens in new tab) — online mental health support for veterans, ADF personnel and their family members.
• Qlife (Opens in new tab) — provides a counselling and referral service for LGBTIQ+ people. Call 1800 184 527.

If you need support or advice about brain injuries, call Synapse Australia's Brain Injury Organisation (Opens in new tab) on 1800 673 074.

Do you have a speech or hearing impairment?

• Call Deaf Connect (Opens in new tab) on 1300 773 803 for Sign Language Interpreting Services.
• You can call the National Relay Service (Opens in new tab) on 1800 555 660 if you need hearing or speech impairment support.

Other languages

Do you speak a language other than English?

• You can get translating and interpreting support for My Aged Care by calling Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) (Opens in new tab) on 131 450 and ask for 1800 200 422.
• Transcultural Mental Health Centre has many resources about wellbeing and mental health in different languages (Opens in new tab).

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples

• My Aged Care provides help and support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (Opens in new tab). Call on 1800 200 422 and ask for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander interpreter.
• Medicare Mental Health has mental health support for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people (Opens in new tab).
• Wellmob (Opens in new tab) has more mental health information and resources Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.
• 13YARN (Opens in new tab) provide 24/7 crisis support over the phone on 13 92 76.