Older Adults’ Perceptions of Psychotherapy: What Is It and Who Is Responsible?

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to explore older peoples' attitudes towards, and understanding of, psychotherapy and their willingness to seek out psychological services for themselves. Method: A total of 14 older adults, 10 women and 4 men, aged from 65 to 89 years, participated in semi-structured interviews which were guided by a set of open-ended questions. Results: Thematic analysis identified three themes: the GP as the primary but problematic access point; unfamiliar terminology/familiar concept; and changing attitudes/lingering stigma. The General Practitioner was identified as the primary contact for accessing mental health services. Most participants were reluctant to disclose emotional concerns to their doctor and GPs were seen as responsible for initiating discussions about mental health. Lack of enquiry by GPs, short consultation times and unfamiliarity with psychological terminology were considered barriers for accessing treatment. Participants mostly held positive and accepting views of psychotherapy but a lingering stigma, based on historical values of stoicism and self-reliance, was evident. Reductions in societal stigma were attributed to increased exposure to mental health information via the media, however, participants appeared to confuse psychological services with counselling as this was a term that most were familiar with. Conclusions: Health professionals need to be mindful of the terminology they use when communicating with older adults about mental health to avoid confusion. Media initiatives do lead to improved mental health literacy and a reduction of the stigma around mental illness but they also need to distinguish between available services, for example, counselling and psychological services.

Older Adults’ Perceptions of Psychotherapy in Cyprus

“…It is also associated to the view that not managing to effectively deal with emotional difficulties is a sign of personal weakness. The belief of self-reliance for addressing mental and emotional issues has been indicated in other research [18,23]. Despite the fact that participants' expressed positive views in regards to the decreased stigmatization of mental illness in Cyprus, a tendency to refer to mental illness as something that it involves 'others' was also evident through participants' discourse.…”

“…Programs that use older adult peer educators/supporters, such as the "older people's champions" of the Healthy Passport programme in England, might make the programs more effective. Mental health campaigns, such as Australia's beyondblue, might increase mental health literacy of older adults [18,25]. In Cyprus, where stigma around mental illness holds a long tradition and persists among the elderly, it is important to use strategies that have the potential to empower this population to proactively attend to their mental health including community-based education and national mental health campaigns.…”

“…Previous research assessing older peoples' perceptions and views of the nature and purpose of psychotherapy is limited. Research by [18] explored older peoples' attitudes towards, and understanding of, psychotherapy and their willingness to seek out psychological services for themselves. Most participants were found to be reluctant to disclose emotional concerns to their doctor and GPs (General Practitioners) were seen as responsible for initiating discussions about mental health.…”

“…Psychologists and other health professionals also need to be mindful of how they describe psychological concepts and treatment as older adults may not understand what they are being told or may be afraid of what treatment involves based on historical context[18,22,25].It is important to acknowledge that this study was a small, qualitative study of 25 older adults.Consequently it is not possible to generalize the findings to all older adults in Cyprus. Furthermore, a positivity bias may have occurred due to the fact that the sample was self-selected and therefore the likelihood of recruiting participants with ambivalent or negative views about psychotherapy may have been lower.…”

Older Adults’ Perceptions of Psychotherapy in Cyprus

“…There is an increasing recognition that patients’ views of mental health treatments are an important factor to consider in the effort to increase utilization of services [17]. Previous research assessing older peoples’ perceptions and views of the nature and purpose of psychotherapy is limited.…”