Adult Psychopathology Myths

Emerging Realities

If you live into your 80s or beyond, you are very likely to suffer such severe mental deterioration that you become “senile.”

Dementias do afflict a significant proportion of the elderly and are more likely to occur with increasing age. But even if you live to be 80 or older, the chances of contracting dementia are considerably less than 50%.

You are more likely to become more clinically depressed as you grow toward old age.

Although depressive symptoms are quite common in the elderly, the incidence and prevalence of clinical depression do not increase with increasing age.

You are more likely to contract a serious mental illness as you grow older.

Although Alzheimer’s disease is an important and troublesome exception, the incidence rates for most forms of psychopathology decline with increasing age.

Middle-aged and elderly adults are not amenable to treatment by cognitive and behavior therapy.

Successful cognitive and behavior therapy has been and is being done with the middle aged and elderly.