Depression and Its Affect on the Elderly

Depression is not normal for any age. Growing older creates problems and stress that can lead to depression. The change in lifestyle from working full-time to retirement may cause problems with those adults that have worked hard all their life. Serious medical issues and mounting bill also can lead to depression. Many seniors face the loss of their spouse now of life, they are losing mobility, and some even lose their drivers license. All of these can lead to increased isolation, loneliness, and depression.

Many of us get the ‘blues” or down moods but if these feelings continue for more than several weeks you should consult a doctor or professional to see if you have a clinical depression. Depression affects all areas of our lives, our thinking, sleep, thinking, and even our physical health. Older adults often face joint and muscle pains that make many of your leisure activities difficult to do. You lose interest in them because of the pain and depression sets in.

You may experience a depressed mood after a loss, or a dramatic change in your life. If you have lost someone you love, grief is a normal process the body needs to go through. Depression often goes with grief but if it lasts longer than a few months, you may have a clinical depression.

Clinical depression is a whole body disorder. It affects the way you think, your response to situations, and even the way you feel physically. This depression will strike at least three people out of every one hundred people 65 or older. It’s serious and can lead to suicide.

The good news is that 80 percent of those diagnosed with clinical depression can be treated successfully with medications or therapy. Sometimes it takes both to bring relief from clinical depression.

There are several types of clinical depression. Major depression makes it nearly impossible to lead a normal life. Many times, someone with major depression cannot bring himself or herself to crawl out of bed. They don’t enjoy life, sleep well, and are unable to carry on their normal life. This can happen to a person once in their life, or be something that happens more than once over their lifetime. Therapy is considered important in finding the underlying cause of the problem. A traumatic event that happened years ago may be what is causing the problem. A trained therapist can help you face those fears or traumas and help you on the road to recovery.

Bipolar disease is another form of depression. It is characterized by extreme highs, and extreme lows. This disease is often referred to as manic-depressive illness. This disease normally starts in the early to mid 20’s, but occasionally, it can occur when they are teenagers. Many are not properly diagnosed until they reach middle age. Sometimes a misdiagnosis of depression, and consequent treatment can cause major problems in family relationships. This form of depression needs immediate treatment. If a person has been diagnosed with bipolar depression early, they may still experience recurring bouts for the rest of their lives. If you think you or a loved one is experiencing any of the signs of bipolar disease, they need to seek treatment. This is something that just doesn’t go away. It probably will need medication as well as therapy. Don’t wait until it destroys your family or causes a suicide.

Symptoms of a Mania are:

Extreme and unreasonable irritability.

High moods that is excessive in quantity.

Decreased need for sleep.

Grandiose notions.

Easily distracted.

Increased energy.

Inability to make good decisions.

Excess energy, constantly on the move or talking.

Because bipolar is so often misdiagnosed, treatment that is suitable for that disorder is not prescribed. The result can be many years of depression, problems, and a host of other problems.

Depression can also share symptoms with other physical problems. That is why it is so important to have a doctor thoroughly go over your symptoms to be sure of the correct diagnosis. A serious physical illness must be ruled out before a diagnosis of bipolar or clinical depression can be given.

Depression occurs in heart attack and cancer patients at a much higher percent, so close watch should be given to a loved one experiencing one of these problems.