Anxiety is also common among elderly people (APA, 2014). At any given time, as many as 11 percent of elderly individuals in the United States experience at least one of the anxiety disorders. Surveys indicate that generalized anxiety disorder is particularly common, affecting up to 7 percent of all elderly people (ADAA, 2014). The rate of anxiety also increases throughout old age. For example, people over 85 years of age report higher rates of anxiety than those between 65 and 84 years. In fact, all of these numbers may be low, as anxiety in the elderly often goes unrecognized by healthcare professionals (APA, 2014; Jeste et al., 2005).

There are many things about aging that may heighten the anxiety levels of certain people (Bower et al., 2015; Lenze et al., 2011). Declining health, for example, has often been pointed to, and in fact, older persons who have significant medical illnesses or injuries report more anxiety than those who are healthy or injury-free. Researchers have not, however, been able to determine why some people who face such problems in old age become anxious while others in similar circumstances remain relatively calm (see InfoCentral below).

Older adults with anxiety disorders have been treated with psychotherapy of various kinds, particularly cognitive-behavioral therapy (Bower et al., 2015; McKenzie & Teri, 2011). Many also receive antianxiety medications or certain antidepressant drugs, just as younger sufferers do. Again, however, all such drugs must be used cautiously with older people (Dubovsky & Dubovsky, 2011).