Mental health and addiction issues a concern for seniors in Hamilton, Niagara, Haldimand and Brant

For Immediate Release - November 11, 2008 (St. Catharines) - The impact of aging on mental health and addiction services is a major concern for Ontarians, and several trends, if not addressed, could have serious repercussions for the well-being of seniors. This is particularly true for Niagara which has17% of the population aged 65+ and this represents the oldest age structure of all Census Metropolitan Areas in the province of Ontario.

These issues will be the focus of a workshop at the Four Points by Sheraton in Thorold, Ontario on Friday November 14, 2008 with Dr. Benoit Mulsant, a leading geriatric psychiatrist, researcher and physician-in-chief at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). Dr. Mulsant will discuss crucial issues including stigma and the potential shortage of trained mental health and addiction professionals.

Data from substance abuse treatment programs in Ontario show that seniors comprise a substantial proportion of those admitted to these programs and that senior women are under-represented. While alcohol and tobacco are the major problem substances for seniors, use of street drugs and even intravenous use of street drugs warrant concern. In some respects, relative to the province as a whole, the problems are even more dramatic for seniors in the Hamilton, Niagara, Haldimand, Brant, Norfolk, and Burlington area.

These, and related issues, will be the subject of a CAMH in the Community event scheduled for November 14, 1-4 pm in Thorold, Ontario. Dr. Benoit Mulsant’s presentation, the Future of Aging: Impact on Mental Health and Addiction Services is co-sponsored by the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant Local Health Integration Network.

The data on seniors, available from the Drug and Alcohol Treatment Information System (DATIS) Database, are collected from substance abuse treatment programs in Ontario. The current analysis reveals that seniors, defined as age 55+, make up 7.1% of all those in addiction treatment in Ontario.
Among the seniors in addiction treatment, women appear to be underrepresented. While women comprise 35.2% of all those in treatment, they comprise only 29.9% in the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant (HNHB) LHIN.

DATIS also makes it possible to compare province-wide figures to those arising from a given Local Health Integration Network (LHIN). Prescription opioids are reported as a current problem by 5.7% of seniors in treatment, and problems with street drugs are also not uncommon among older adults. 5.3% report a current problem with cannabis and 4.6% with crack (crystallized cocaine). 6.9% of the seniors in treatment also report intravenous drug use at some point during their lifetime. For the HNHB LHIN, the figures for crack and i.v. drug use are slightly higher at 5.7% and 7.8%, respectively.
DATIS shows that the two major problems for seniors in treatment are alcohol and tobacco. For all those in treatment in Ontario, 65.5% report problems with alcohol. However, for seniors, the figure climbs to 84.7%. HNHB is slightly higher at 86.5%. Tobacco as a problem substance was reported by 13.2% of seniors entering treatment in Ontario - higher than any of the illegal or prescription drugs.

Dr. Mulsant has been designing and conducting studies for “hard-to-treat” older patients with mood disorders for more than 15 years. He is concerned about the demographics of an aging population and the urgency to improve the treatment of seniors with severe mental disorders. Dr. Mulsant will discuss demographic and clinical factors that will impact the delivery of mental health and addiction services.
Dr. Mulsant is also Professor and Vice-Chair, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto and Clinical Director, Geriatric Mental Health Program, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

To arrange interviews please contact Michael Torres, Media Relations, CAMH at (416) 595-6015.

- 30 -

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada's largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital, as well as one of the world's leading research centres in the area of addiction and mental health. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development and health promotion to transform the lives of people affected by mental health and addiction issues.

CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre.