Maurizio is 70 years old and has just started therapy in the hope of better understanding a physical pain that has been plaguing him since childhood. After consulting different specialists, he chose to turn to a psychologist. “The process itself became something meaningful, a space for introspection that helped me better understand my life”he says.
Antonio, 73, and his wife Gigliona, 68, walked through the door of a practice in the hope of saving their relationship. “It may have helped us to turn inward and express what we had never been able to say before.”recognizes Gigliona. These paths have one thing in common: they challenge a stubborn idea according to which therapy is above all a matter for younger generations.
The potential of therapy to treat mental illness and improve well-being is now widely recognized, underlines an article published by the BBC. However, seniors remain largely under-represented in the offices of psychologists and psychotherapists. Which seems paradoxical when we know that around 14% of people over 70 suffer from a mental health disorder, mainly depression or anxiety, according to the World Health Organization. Even more worrying, nearly 17% of suicides concern people in this age group.
There is no evidence that therapy loses its effectiveness or usefulness over time, says Pim Cuijpers, professor of clinical psychology at the Free University of Amsterdam. Elderly people who consult people find that psychological monitoring helps target several concerns related to aging, such as social isolation or certain chronic illnesses. Many report an improvement in their general well-being, associated with more motivation and better social relationships. Therapy can act as a bridge, allowing them to reconnect with themselves and the world around them.
Difficulties in accessing consultations
However, several obstacles continue to hinder access to psychological care, particularly the financial aspect. Health insurance often does not, or not entirely, cover therapy. Some retirees cannot afford to finance regular monitoring.
In many cases, access to psychotherapy depends on referral by the general practitioner. However, several studies have shown that seniors are less often referred to mental health professionals, even when they present symptoms of anxiety or depression. Their suffering is considered a natural reaction associated with aging. For Rossana De Beni, professor of psychology at the University of Padua, Italy, the challenge is to overcome this reductive vision. Clinicians must consider the elderly person as a multifaceted individual, often leaving aside ageist prejudices. “deeply rooted”.
But ageism doesn’t just come from the outside. The people concerned sometimes end up integrating these representations themselves. Beliefs, such as the idea that mental health problems are part of the aging process, are among the most commonly cited barriers to accessing care.
Specialists insist on this point: positive transformation remains possible at any age. “Aging, until the very end, is a stage of life marked by changeemphasizes Rossana De Beni. People thrive in a process of continuous transformation, learning and flexibility that never really ends.”
Maurizio could attest to this. “Therapy helped me (…) to manage the transition between working life and the pre-retirement phase, when I had to find new ways of socializing”he remembers. His experience reminds us that major life transitions do not stop at the threshold of retirement. If society readily imagines this period of life as a long, calm river, there are many seniors who would also benefit from psychological support to get through its turmoil.
