Mental Health Needs of Aging Veterans: Recent Evidence and Clinical Recommendations

Objectives: Large numbers of older Americans have a history of military service, which may be positively or negatively associated with mental health in late life. We reviewed literature with the aim of better understanding the mental health needs of older Veterans. Methods: Articles included those p...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical gerontologist 2022-03, Vol.45 (2), p.252-271
Main Authors: Karel, Michele J., Wray, Laura O., Adler, Geri, Hannum, Alisa O' Riley, Luci, Katherine, Brady, Laura A., McGuire, Marsden H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Aging
Armed forces
Behavior modification
Clinical outcomes
Evidence-based medicine
Health needs
Health problems
Health services
Health services utilization
Humans
Integrated care
Mental disorders
Mental Health
Mental health care
Mental health services
Military hospitals
Military service
older adults
research review
Suicide
Suicide - prevention & control
Treatment methods
United States - epidemiology
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans
Veterans - psychology
Veterans Health Administration
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Objectives: Large numbers of older Americans have a history of military service, which may be positively or negatively associated with mental health in late life. We reviewed literature with the aim of better understanding the mental health needs of older Veterans. Methods: Articles included those published in 2009-2018 and focused on prevalence/risk for mental illness and suicide among older Veterans; utilization of mental health services; effectiveness of evidence-based behavioral treatments; and pertinent care delivery models. Results: Older Veterans are generally resilient. A significant minority experience mental health concerns that are associated with poor outcomes including a substantial number of suicides. Most published research is based on the approximately one third of Veterans who use the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) for care. Older Veterans with mental health diagnoses are less likely to utilize mental health services compared to younger Veterans, but as likely to benefit once engaged. Integrated care models in primary and geriatric care settings are promising. Conclusions: Aging Veterans are a large subset of Americans whose mental health needs are complex and deserve attention. Clinical Implications: Clinicians should ask about history of military service (i.e., Veteran status) and utilize available resources when providing care for older Veterans.
ISSN:0731-7115
1545-2301
DOI:10.1080/07317115.2020.1716910