Know About Elderly Depression And Its Warning Signs

I had the fortune of listening to an interesting discussion by the chief of geriatric psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. It was very interesting to note facts about depression in the elderly; sudden change in interest and moods was more than just old age changes; it is a public health concern. It is significant to know by a recent study that over 15% of the elders suffer from depression, with about 25% of them complaining of persistent feelings of sadness.

It is significant to note according to Dr. Gary Kennedy, a leading authority on elderly depression in New York many health practitioners caring for elderly depression are also not aware and are unprepared with the questions they should ask for screening for elder’s depression. Older adults seem to consider mental illness as a stigma and have the tendency to hide or ignore debilitating mental conditions which they assume is mental health treatment in mental hospitals and nursing homes.

Depression in elders, according to geriatric psychiatrist has far more frightening consequences if not addressed and treated and could also lead to the depressed elder stopping to take critical medications for serious heart and other conditions. This could increase the risk of developing other serious health conditions, with the chance of death from these conditions increasing as compared to non-depressed elders that recover more easily.

The warning signs of elderly depression:

 
The geriatric psychiatrist was of the opinion that most geriatric psychiatrists and knowledgeable physicians first try to find out whether the elder has been sad or depressed and had feelings of helplessness most of the time in the last 2 weeks. They also try to find out if they have lost interest in everything in the past 2 weeks.

In addition there are some more warning signals:

• If you notice that your elderly parent that usually is a happy and contented person to be now irritable, he/she could be suffering from depression.

• Social withdrawal is the next warning signal; you may find your aged parent/in-law wanting to shut themselves from their otherwise near and dear ones or have a tendency to avoid social situations they enjoyed.  

• The geriatric psychiatrist was of the opinion that when elders show a lack of pride in their personal appearance it could signal elderly depression.

• One more signal was that depression amplifies the physical pain; isn’t it true it is all there in the mind.

It is still more significant to find that those that have suffered from stroke or undergone some major surgery and are recovering could develop a depressive episode, with some going to have a depression disorder. It is found that 15% of such elders leave the hospital with symptoms of depression. Lastly elders also have the tendency to go into depressive moods when they lose a spouse, child or a close relative; with this tendency being more predominant in elders losing a near and dear one.