Mental Health of Over 50s Statistics

Every year, millions of Americans face problems with their mental health. It affects people of all ages, genders, races, and socio-economic backgrounds. A mental illness is defined as having a diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder, other than a developmental or substance use disorder. Perhaps unsurprisingly, there has been an “explosion” in mental illness over the last decade.

The latest mental health statistics for over 50s show:

1. 15% of adults aged 50 and over reported a mental illness in the past year. 
2. 18.3% of women aged 50 and older reported a mental illness in the past year compared to 11.4% of men.
3. Those aged 50-54 reported the highest percentage of mental illness of those aged over 50 (21.9%)
4. 16.6% of 55-59-year-olds reported a mental illness in the past year (12.2% of men, 21.2% of women).
5. 15.4% of 60-64-year-olds reported a mental illness in the past year (11.5% of men, 18.9% of women).
6. 11.9% of people 65 or older reported a mental illness in the past year (8.9% of men, 14.3% of women).
7. 17.2% of Black or African Americans aged 50+ reported a mental illness in the past year.
8. 26.3% of those identifying as ‘two or more races’ aged 50+ reported a mental illness in the past year.
9. Mental illness was lowest in those aged 50 or older who were employed full-time (12.5%)
10. 23.3% of those unemployed aged 50 or older reported a mental illness in the past year
11. 16.9% of those working part-time aged 50 or older reported a mental illness in the past year
12. Those aged 50 or older and living in the West reported the highest percentage of mental illness in the past year (16.8%), followed by the South (16.1%), Midwest (13.8%) and Northeast (12.2%).
13. When looking at location by county type, those aged 50 and older living in Completely Rural areas reported the highest percentage of mental illness in the past year (20.5%). 
14. Those aged 50 or older living in a large metro area reported the lowest percentage of mental illness at 14%. 
15. 25.2% of adults aged 50 and older at a poverty level of <100% reported a mental illness. This dropped to 20.8% for those with a poverty level of 100-199% and 11.8% for those with a poverty level of >200%. 
16. 4.5% of adults aged 50 or older reported a major depressive episode in the past year (3.2% of men and 5.7% of women). 
17. 2.5% of adults aged 50 or older reported a serious mental illness in the past year.
18. 53.6% of people aged 50+ with a perceived unmet need for Mental Health Services in the past year received mental health services (including virtual services). 
19. 52% of people aged 50+ with a perceived unmet need for Mental Health Services in the past year received inpatient, outpatient, or prescription medication.
20. 40.1% of people aged 18+ reported not receiving mental health services due to not being able to afford the cost. 

Source: SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2021.