Silver Minds, Stigmatized: Ageism in Mental Health

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Mental health discrimination takes many forms, but one of the most insidious is how we systematically devalue older adults struggling with psychological conditions. Drawing from my lived experience with paranoid schizophrenia and as the daughter of a mother with the same condition, I've witnessed the painful intersection of ageism and mental health stigma up close.

When I turned 50 and attended my first mental health advocacy support group, I immediately felt the chill of age discrimination. Despite the wonderful work these organizations do, their focus skewed dramatically toward younger people. The unspoken message was clear: mental health resources are prioritized for those with more life ahead of them. This utilitarian approach ignores the profound truth that an older person's remaining years are arguably more precious precisely because they are fewer.

My mother's journey with schizophrenia in her later years revealed how quickly society abandons aging individuals with mental illness. As her condition worsened, complicated by anosognosia (lack of insight into her own illness), friends and family gradually disappeared. The healthcare system offered minimal support, repeatedly telling me she couldn't receive intervention unless she posed an immediate danger. Despite these challenges, her brilliant mind continued to shine. Our intellectual connection remained vibrant, providing meaningful interactions that others missed by dismissing her as merely "old and mentally ill."

Older adults navigating mental health challenges bring wisdom accumulated through decades of experience—insights into what treatments work, what coping strategies help, and how to maintain dignity through difficult times. By marginalizing these voices, we lose invaluable knowledge that could benefit mental health care for everyone. We must recognize that growth, recovery, and meaningful connection remain possible at any age.

Subscribe to my channel on YouTube (see below) and visit my website to learn more about my novel "The Overlife: A Tale of Schizophrenia" and join me in advocating for mental health care that values every person, regardless of age.

#ageism #seniorhealth #mentalillness #bekind

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Episode Transcript

Diana Dirkby (00:03):
Hello.
Today's episode is entitledSilver Minds Stigmatized Ageism
in Mental Health.
Today we'll discuss olderadults living with mental
illness, and by older I meanthose over 55,.
For context, as many of youknow from my podcast

(00:23):
Schizophrenia as I Live it andmy blog on my website, I live
with paranoid schizophrenia, asdid my mother.
My novel, the Overlife A Taleof Schizophrenia, by Diana
Dirkby, draws from thatexperience.
My mother passed away at 65from ovarian cancer.

(00:43):
I am still here and older than65.
I hope you don't switch offbecause you thought I was
younger.
That would be a typical case ofageism.
I have lived in Australia, theUnited Kingdom, France and the
United States.

(01:03):
I moved to the USA when Imarried my spouse at the age of
42 and I appeared younger thanmy actual age.
Most Americans treated me as ifI were young.
What does that mean, Roughlyspeaking?
I learned that I was about halfthe age at which many people
die off.
That would be 84.
My spouse, who is much olderthan I, is currently 82, and we

(01:27):
both agree that he is old.
He worries about my welfare.
Should he die before me?
Independent of my mental illness, I felt ageism creep into
people's attitudes toward me inthe USA when I was about 50, so
55 is a generous choice.
When I was at support groupswithin the community of mental

(01:50):
health advocacy, I was alreadytreated as an older adult at 50
when I went to my first meeting.
Please understand me.
Mental health advocacy groupsdo fabulous work to improve life
for those who live with amental illness.
Yet I have noticed they seemmuch more interested in young
people than in those whose nextbig step is retirement.

(02:13):
It was precisely at that closeto retirement age that I needed
the most, and when I went to thesupport groups, the group made
me feel that I was too old tomatter.
I witnessed how much my mothersuffered from ageism, even from

(02:33):
within her own family.
I was the only person in herlife who loved her and did my
utmost to assist her as she aged.
At that time we lived inAustralia and due to the time
and effort required to help myageing mother, my friends told
me I didn't have a life.
They didn't want to know mymother, so I stopped inviting
them into our home.
What they missed, and what allpeople who practice ageism on

(02:55):
the mentally ill find hard torecognise, is that older folks
still have a future thoseremaining years of their life
are more precious because theyare fewer in number than those
of a younger person.
They need as much support andsound medical advice as a young

(03:18):
person.
The key to this discriminationis time.
A younger person has more timeto live than an older person, so
people consider it worthwhileto invest in that greater time.
They often overlook that thepast of an older person is
filled with experience andknowledge, so those close to

(03:38):
them should help preserve theirgood mental health to benefit
from what they have to share.
Older individuals are likely toapply this wisdom to their
mental health challenges, makingthem valuable voices regarding
what works and doesn't in themental health arena.
My mother suffered fromanosognosia, a neurological

(04:00):
condition characterized by alack of awareness or insight
into one's own mental orphysical illness or disability.
She never considered herselfmentally ill.
Of course, this anosognosia wasmore than I could handle in
practice, as every time Iconsulted a doctor, they told me
that my mother had to pose adanger to herself or someone

(04:22):
else to be admitted to apsychiatric ward.
As family and friends desertedmy mother, I remained grateful
for all that she had given me asher daughter.
It wasn't easy to live with heras her condition worsened, but
it was worth it to keep theconnection with the intellectual

(04:43):
world we shared and could stillshare, making for many happy
days despite her ongoing tragedy.
My mother was a genius, andonly I saw it.
She was just as interesting inher older years as she was in
her younger years.
The key reason for ageism inmental health is the belief that
young people have more time torecover and that more is at

(05:04):
stake, as they need to buildcareers or, at the very least,
secure good jobs.
In contrast, an older personwho has sustained employment is
approaching retirement age orreceiving a pension.
Their path appears clearer,provided they maintain good
mental health.
Therefore, younger people needmore focus.

(05:26):
That may well be true, butolder people also need friends
and support to ensure theirfinal years are as valuable as
possible.
Thank you for watching andlistening.
Don't forget to subscribe to myYouTube channel, enable
notifications and like my videos.
I'll leave my websites andsocial media in the episode

(05:47):
description.
I hope you have a great day.