Introduction: Older adults with depression and anxiety have low uptake of formal help seeking. Despite the availability of effective psychological therapy, few older adults engage in the process. Therapeutic engagement can be improved by understanding the mental health beliefs of older adults using help seeking models such as the Common Sense Model of Self-Regulation (CSM). Objective: To provide a qualitative account of how older adults describe, characterise and self-regulate their mental health difficulties through the lens of the CSM. Methods: 24 community dwelling older adults (60+) with depression and anxiety were interviewed across Australia. Interviews were analysed through deductive coding using the CSM domains. Results: Depression and anxiety were characterised in two ways; either as an enduring black fog with pervasive negative thinking or reactive and transient physical/cognitive symptoms arising from daily challenges. Mental illness was considered chronic yet fluctuating in severity and intensity over time. Causes were attributed to life stressors, biological, or trauma factors. Personal control was themed as either having a sense of self-efficacy and agency over their mental illness or perceived sense of helplessness. Treatment control was divided by formal and informal avenues. Despite the negative consequences of mental illness on sense of self, functional capacity and relationships, many older adults highlighted how their own lived experienced helped them to be empathic to others and provided an opportunity to destigmatise mental illness. Conclusion: By understanding mental health beliefs, clinicians can better engage the older adult in therapeutic approaches that promote help seeking.