Elderly ‘being denied therapy’

THE elderly are being fobbed off with pills for mental health problems instead of receiving therapy, experts warn.

Over- 5s are five times less likely to be referred for psychological therapy than those in their 50s – and a third more likely to be given antidepressants.

Time-pressed GPs are neglecting pensioners’ mental health in favour of more straightforward physical needs, wrote researchers from University College London and the University of Bristol.

However, older adults reported ‘a willingness to talk about their emotional health’. The research, published in the British Journal of General Practice, combined 27 studies on psychological treatment of the elderly.