Mental Health Matters: Depression and Anxiety in Older Adults

On June 8, 2016 the Forum hosted a public talk at McMaster Innovation Park featuring Michael Landsberg, host of TSN’s Off The Record and well-known mental health advocate. Both he and Dr. Doug Oliver, a family physician with a passion for supporting the physical and mental health of older adults, engaged in an open discussion on depression, anxiety and other mental health challenges facing older adults. The above video presents highlights from the event. Mental health issues impose an enormous disease burden on societies across the world with depression alone affecting 350 million people globally. It is estimated that one in ten Canadian adults will experience major depression at some time in their lives. For older adults living in institutions, the rate of anxiety and depression increases significantly. The social stigma around mental illnesses presents a serious barrier, not only to diagnosis and treatment but also to acceptance in the community. This public talk was organized by the McMaster Health Forum and was supported by McMaster University’s Labarge Optimal Aging Initiative.