ABSTRACT
In order to determine if mental health problems are more prevalent among older adults than among younger adults, this chapter examines those studies in which it is possible to compare the prevalence rates of mental impairment between different age groups, as well as the relationship between mental health and age to determine if an increase in age is related to an increase in psychological disorders. Available data from various epidemiological studies challenge some of our common beliefs concerning the distribution of psychological impairment by age and by gender. None of the studies with data on the relationships between distress and age provide evidence to support professional beliefs or official statements that psychological disorders are more prevalent among older adults than among younger adults. The one consistent finding from all cross-sectional studies is that, to the extent that a relationship exists between impairment and age, more disorders are found among younger, rather than older, age groups.
