Depression and anxiety can affect anyone, and the elderly are no exception. In fact, due to illness, being more dependent on others and seeing spouses, friends and siblings die around them, old age can bring on negative emotions and anxiety for many. Knowing one's own mortality all too well by old age can also cause depression that may need therapy and/or medications.
So how common is depression among those over 65? According to an EmpowHER article on mental health by MC Kelby, the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) estimates that more that 6.5 million American seniors are affected. There are about 35 million people in the United States over the age of 65 so this is a considerable percentage.
They are not all diagnosed or treated though, according to NAMI. One of the reasons for this is that symptoms are often misdiagnosed as something else like dementia, thyroid problems or even Parkinson's disease.
Another reason that the elderly are sometimes hesitant to talk to others about possible depression is because older generations often thought of this as a personal weakness -- a character flaw. Others were afraid they'd be institutionalized.
But that's not the case anymore, at least for many seniors who are living with troubled mental health. And it's good news to know that more elderly than ever are seeking counseling and therapy for depression and anxiety, according to a recent New York Times article.
The NY Times interviewed Delores Gallagher-Thompson of the Department of Psychiatry at Stanford, who said that her department has been "... seeing more people in their 80s and older over the past five years, many who have never done therapy before. Usually, they’ve tried other resources like their church, or talked to family. They’re realizing that they’re living longer, and if you’ve got another 10 or 15 years, why be miserable if there’s something that can help you?”
Of any kind of therapy, talk therapy seems to be a favorite of the elderly, who are finally more apt to viewing therapy as a positive thing rather than something with negative connotations.
And because they, like anyone else of any other generation, may have untreated anxiety issues from their younger years, talk therapy in older age can still help with unresolved, long-standing problems.
Older people are less inclined to try pills that may interfere with their other medications or cause unpleasant side effects. They are also less inclined to sit around and ponder. Time is of the essence when a person is over a certain age and the last thing they want to do is waste time.
EmpowHER has heard from many older adults who are also suffering emotionally. Whether it's due to chronic and painful illnesses, taking care of a spouse with Alzheimer's or other problems in life, depression in older age is just as likely as it is in any other age bracket.
Seniors sometimes self-medicate with alcohol and this can cause even more health issues, along with concerns about mixing it with medications.
EmpowHER writer MC Kelby also writes about signs to look for in an elderly person who may be depressed. They are:
• Weight loss and loss of appetite. Eating less. The refrigerator may be empty or contain spoiled food.
• Social withdrawal. Not bathing or shaving as often. Visitors may notice smells of urine or stool. Clothes may be dirty and wrinkled.
• Fixed false beliefs (delusions or hallucinations)
• Not taking care of the home
• Stopping medicines or not taking them correctly
• Withdrawing from others. Not talking as much, and not answering the phone or returning phone calls
• Vague complaints of pain
• Inability to sleep
• Irritability
https://www.empowher.com/mental-health/content/elderly-depression-symptoms
If you recognize these signs in a loved one, or even yourself, contact a doctor.
Tell Us
Are you an elderly person with depression or do you know one? What steps have been taken for treatment?
Sources:
The National Alliance for Mental Illness. Mental Illnesses. Depression in Older Persons Fact Sheet. Web. Retrieved Monday, May 13th, 2013.
http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=By_Illness&template=/ContentMan...
The New York Times. Health. Mind. "How Therapy Can Help in the Golden Years". Web. Retrieved Monday, May 13th, 2013.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/22/how-therapy-can-help-in-the-gol...
EmpowHER.com. Mental Health. Elderly Depression Symptoms by MC Kelby. Web. Retrieved Monday, May 13th, 2013.
https://www.empowher.com/mental-health/content/elderly-depression-symptoms
Reviewed May 13, 2013
by Michele Blacksberg RN