Anxiety Disorders in the Elderly

1 Among older people (65 years of age and older), many worry about their health, family, financial situation and mortality. These worries are even more likely to arise when they feel that their physical and mental capacities are diminishing and that they are loosing their autonomy. This is considered as normal anxiety. However, sometimes anxiety is so intense that it causes significant impairment in the person’s daily functioning and becomes an important source of distress. This kind of anxiety is not normal and it is called an anxiety disorder.