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Depression in the elderly may not arise from increased age, but from loss of health and function.
The elderly are at high risk for depression because they are more likely than younger people to have experienced illness, death of loved ones, impaired function and loss of independence. The cumulative effect of negative life experiences may be overwhelming to an older person. |
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Depression Triggers
When depression in the elderly occurs, it is often triggered by some of the following events:
Depression coexisting with a chronic illness
Coexisting medical illness complicates feelings of depression. Most physically ill people do not have suicidal thoughts, unless they have a major depressive disorder.
The American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry reports about 25 percent of people experience depression coexisting with a chronic illness. The illnesses that particularly affect mental health in the elderly include:
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Physical Signs
Often depression in the elderly is demonstrated by physical ailments that are in fact signs of depression. Sometimes, older people are reluctant to admit to emotional symptoms of depression, but they will talk about physical ailments. These signs are often overlooked because coexisting medical conditions also can have the same symptoms. Some common physical symptoms that may indicate depression in the elderly include:
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Emotional Signs
The best screening instrument is a physician or family member that knows the person well. A gradual loss of interest, increased irritability, thoughts of harming oneself and increased alcohol intake can be signs of depression, beyond the usual common sense identifiers, such as a person having a gloomy, pessimistic mood or crying all the time.
Relatives and friends of elderly men and women should be aware of signs that their loved one may be experiencing depression. It's important not to dismiss or ignore the signs, because severe depression can lead to disability or the symptoms of their coexisting disease may worsen resulting in premature death or even suicide. These signs may include:
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