Aging and Mental Health

Except for dementia, the incidence of mental illness does not increase with age. Alzheimer’s disease is a common, but not inevitable consequence of aging – about 50 percent of people over the age of 95 suffer from it. The majority of mental deterioration before age 80 is a result of the disease process, not aging. Although we all experience word finding difficulty as we age, there is no corresponding decline in IQ scores. Successful vs. unsuccessful aging can be predicted [...]