Mental Health Diagnoses Found to Be Considerably Higher in Older Adults
The Axios news website reports that according to an analysis by the national nonprofit FAIR Health, the share of patients with mental health diagnoses rose 40% nationally from 2019 to 2023, with the most significant jump being among America’s older population. FAIR Health reportedly used a database of roughly 46 billion commercial insurance claims — including Medicare — to examine in-network claims between 2019 and 2023. Among the findings: The largest increase was among those aged 65 and over, with about a 50% boost in mental health diagnoses compared to five years ago. The increases in such diagnoses were lower in younger age groups. Axios observed that Americans cite poor mental health as a significant threat to overall public health, and the FAIR Health analysis shows that while a lot of attention is being paid to the mental health challenges of youth, the challenges faced by older adults warrant attention as well.
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