Globally, the population aged 65 and over is growing faster than all other age groups. Many older adults are at risk for mental health problems. But this does not mean that mental health problems are a normal part of aging. It's important to recognize and treat mental disorders in older adults. These disorders don't just cause mental suffering. They can also make it harder for you to manage other health problems. This is especially true if those health problems are chronic.   Depression, dementia, and suicide are the most common and serious. Geriatric depression may be disregarded as frailty. Dementia is a complex clinical syndrome in which cognitive functions such as general intelligence, learning, language, and higher levels of mental function decline.