Promoting Mental Health in Aging

Editorial

Mental health is not just a matter of the absence of mental illness, it is both the experience of feeling good and also being able to be independent in activities of daily living (ADL), and being able to socialize. The promotion of people’s mental health is necessary, and should start very early, before the first symptoms, for a better understanding of how mental disorders start in old age. With the rapid aging of the population, governments will face numerous challenges in this sector, which require greater health education for the general population and appropriate social support. Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, are considered epidemics of our century and produce negative social, family and health impacts, resulting in high costs to public coffers. Many social, demographic, psychological and biological factors contribute to a person’s mental health. As well as poverty, social isolation, loss of independence, among other factors, can affect mental health and also the general health of the elderly.

The promotion of active and healthy aging brings opportunities that allow the elderly to stay longer in the labour market, thus favouring the mental health framework. In summary, the expansion of support networks, in perspective with interventions aimed at the prevention of more specific diseases, such as dementia, anxiety and depression, aims mainly at promoting individual and public health.