Image source: Serenity Strull/ BBC/ Getty Images
While many believe therapy is only for younger people, older adults can also significantly benefit mentally from psychotherapy.
Mousio has recently begun therapy at age 70, hoping it might help her understand the physical pain she has experienced since childhood better. She had been suffering from migraines for seven years and wanted to uncover the root cause.
Over the years, she consulted many doctors who gave various suggestions. She started therapy as part of her quest to identify the source of her pain. Although the cause remained elusive, she continued her search.
“This process of exploration became very meaningful; it provided a space to introspect and helped me gain a clearer understanding of life,” Mousio says. (Names have been withheld to protect the privacy of therapy participants.)
Seventy-three-year-old Antonio and his 68-year-old wife Giliola sought therapy to preserve their relationship after enduring prolonged unspoken tension and dissatisfaction. “After some time, I began to feel lighter and more open,” Antonio shared.
“Understanding our own emotions and sharing things we had never expressed before really helped us,” Giliola adds.
Their experience challenges the common notion that therapy is solely for younger people. Numerous studies show that older adults gain substantial benefits from such support.
Therapy in Later Life
The importance of therapy in treating mental illness and its benefits for overall health is now well established. However, such services remain relatively less accessible to older adults.
According to the World Health Organization, about 14% of people over 70 suffer from mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. Seventeen percent of all suicides also occur within this age group. A 2024 U.S. study showed only about 4% of those over 65 engage in psychological therapy, compared to 12% of 18–24-year-olds and 8% of 35–64-year-olds.
Pim Kappers, Professor of Clinical Psychology at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands, states that age does not reduce therapy effectiveness. “Therapy is effective for people of all ages,” he explains.
Kappers has reviewed psychotherapy outcomes for depression across different age groups.
“I was surprised by the extensive research on elderly populations over 75 years old, confirming that psychotherapy does not have diminished effects in this age group,” he says.
Image source: Getty Images
Therapy helps elderly people cope with social isolation and illnesses that often accompany aging.
Many report gaining new inspiration, increased social engagement, and an overall improved life experience.
Therapy acts as a bridge reconnecting older adults to themselves and the outside world.
Older patients tend to be more committed to therapy and are able to sustain the work needed to achieve meaningful change.
“We do not know exactly why, but older adults are often more motivated when they decide to seek help,” Kappers adds.
Barriers to Care
Financial difficulties often impede therapy initiation for older adults: sometimes social health insurance does not cover therapy, and they may be unable to afford the fees out of pocket.
Therapy Options
Therapy comes in various forms that can be tailored according to individual needs. Some common types include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and transforming uncomfortable or negative thoughts into positive ones
- Psychodynamic Therapy emphasizes how past experiences shape current feelings and behaviors
- Family Therapy analyzes relationships and dynamics within the entire family rather than just the individual
- Group Therapy facilitates sharing experiences and building connections among individuals facing similar issues
However, even within healthcare systems, barriers exist. Therapy is often recommended by doctors, but some studies indicate older adults show less interest in therapy even when exhibiting mental health symptoms. This may be due to their problems being interpreted as mere aging or physical decline rather than mental illness, thus stopping treatment.
This bias likely stems partly from the views of Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, who suggested therapy effectiveness declines after 40–50 years of age, according to Rosanna De Beni, senior researcher at the University of Padua, Italy.
In his 1905 psychoanalysis study “On Psychotherapy,” Freud stated that aging reduces the brain’s capacity to be treated.
Image source: Getty Images
But De Beni points out this is “not entirely true”. Studies have shown evidence to the contrary.
Clinicians emphasize that elderly patients must be treated based on their individual life circumstances, avoiding stereotyping them simply as ‘elderly.’ Age-related biases are deeply entrenched.
In some cases, older adults might have developed problems by isolating themselves, but beliefs that impede access to psychotherapy are problematic because aging can push some toward anxiety and depression.
The reality is that positive change is possible throughout life.
“Old age is the final stage of life, but humans remain in a continuous process of change, learning, and flexibility that never ends,” De Beni explains.
Image source: Getty Images
Mousio feels this personally.
“Therapy helped me in three stages: coping after my separation, communicating about issues with my children, and finding new social networks before retiring from an active life,” Mousio explains.
“I never thought it could be too late for these things.”
She hopes her journey may inspire others. “I imagine it as planting a small seed: not today, not tomorrow, but in the future, someone will cultivate it and treat it as something essential,” she says.
