Address affects mental health all-Ireland report shows

Older people who live in disadvantaged areas have a higher risk of developing mental illnesses including depression, dementia and cognitive impairment, according to a study released this morning by the University of Ulster.

The risk in this case is associated with the area where you live and not how much a person earns, said lead researcher Prof Helene McNulty of the University of Ulster. The all-Ireland study shows how disadvantage is not specifically related to an urban or rural context.

“This is not about socioeconomic status. It is a novel study related to living in a recognised area of deprivation,” said Prof McNulty who is based in Ulster’s biomedical sciences research institute.

Poor brain health

The data showed that older people living in deprived areas are about 50 per cent more likely to experience poor brain health than those living in better areas.

They have a greater risk of developing cognitive dysfunction from minor memory loss to full dementia, she said. They also face similar increased risk of suffering from anxiety and depression.

“It really suggests the need to go into deprived areas and trying to bring in intervention and at a younger age,” Prof McNulty said.

Deprivation in an area in this study related to factors such as whether there was a doctor nearby, or local shops and other amenities.

The study was funded by the Republic’s Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland and is based on data collected by the TUDA (Trinity, Ulster and Department of Agriculture) Ageing Cohort study.

TUDA collected data on 5,500 people aged 60 years or older from across the island of Ireland.