Investigating mental health status and prevalence of suicidal ideation in the elderly

Dear Chief in Editor As a result of improving health science, the elderly population has increased. The World Health Organization (WHO) mentions the age of 60 as the starting point for aging, and it has also been shown that aging has the highest development rate, particularly in developing nations, according to worldwide stats among distinct age groups. Due to the improvement of health science, the population of elderly has been increasing. the WHO mentions 60 years old as the starting point for aging, also it has been shown that according to global statistics among different age groups, aging has the fastest growth rate, especially in developing countries. Accordingly, approximately two-thirds of the world's elderly population live in developing nations and is estimated to achieve 80% by 2050 [1] At present, the elderly make up 9% of the Iranian population (7.4 million). The Iranian elderly population is projected to reach 26 million or 26% of the total population by 2050. Considering the rise in the elderly, one of the factors regarded by health practitioners is the mental health status of the elderly. Elderly individuals are more vulnerable to mental health issues in the form of anxiety and depression owing to elevated age and physical and mental disabilities. The causes of mental health losses in ancient era are the disadvantages that lead to mournful Journal of Research & Health Social Development & Health Promotion Research Center Vol. 9, No.5, Sep & Oct 2019 Pages: 371372 DOI: 10.29252/jrh.9.5.371 Letter to Editor