Anxious, depressed elderly patients often turn to alternative therapy

Wake Forest University School of Medicine doctor Joseph G. Grzywacz, PhD ad colleagues reported in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine that 34.9% of people over 65 with symptoms of anxiety and/or depression used complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), compared with 26.5% of those without symptoms of mental disorders.

They contend that when praying for health is considered a form of CAM and added in, the percentage leaps to 81.7% of those with mental symptoms, and 64.6% of those without.

However, the researchers were surprised to learn that, according to the results, less than 20% of people with anxiety or depression used CAM to treat it.

Grzywacz said, “Based on previous research and models of health self-management, it was anticipated that CAM use would be greater among older adults with self-reported anxiety or depression than those without such conditions.

The research team’s results are based on the 2002 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) Alternative Health Supplement, which Grzywacz said was “the largest and most representative study of CAM use in the US population to date.” The survey included 30,785 persons who participated in face-to-face interviews with US Census Bureau personnel.

Persons answering “yes” to the question “During the past 12 months have you been frequently depressed or anxious?” were defined as having anxiety or depression, he noted.

He continued, “The findings demonstrate that a significantly greater proportion of older adults with anxiety or depression, in contrast to those without these conditions, use CAM. These differences are driven by greater use of spiritual practices, relaxation techniques and non-vitamin, non-mineral natural products.”

But, Grzywacz added, “Older adults with anxiety or depression generally do not use CAM to treat their mental conditions.”

He said that the 2002 survey was the first with sufficient numbers of older adults to provide description of CAM use among those with symptoms of depression and/or anxiety, and said that mental disorders among the older population are under-diagnosed and under-treated.

Part of the problem is that people over 65 often don’t believe it’s treatable. “Older adults frequently report that depressive feelings are a natural part of aging and may not view them as something requiring treatment,” Grzywacz said.

Surprising too was that the study showed no difference among racial or ethnic groups in the use of CAM for poor mental health. In December 2005, Grzywacz et al reported that, among those over 65, blacks and Native Americans make much greater use of home remedies than whites. The differences seemed to be based on culture rather than healthcare access.

Of the new study, he remarked, “In the absence of conventional treatment, we expected that minority elders would seek other therapies to manage their mental health.” But that wasn’t the case.

© Copyright 2007 Insight Journal Online Magazine.

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