Elderly: Depressed and Why

Depression in people more than 65 years old is very common. If this condition goes untreated, it often results in suicide. The problem with most people who are in contact with these elders is that they tend to overlook the signs and symptoms. Depression in the elderly can have many possible causes. They could be anything from the physical, to the psychological and even to the environment. It can either be genetic or just part of one's personality. Whatever the cause, they would exhibit similar giveaway signs that indicate that they are depressed. These signs should be observed carefully to facilitate intervention.

There have been studies that note that depression has a tendency to be inherited. It could also be caused by changes in the vascular network of the brain and different illnesses seen in old age such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, stroke, or cancer. Conditions such as these may have chronic or severe pain that may trigger and sustain depression. As a person grows old, he encounters many changes in himself and in the environment such as damage to his body image, frustration experienced with memory loss and other motor and sensory dysfunctions, fear of nearing death and loss of loved ones. The elderly often have difficulty adjusting to these changes. Depression may also be due to repressed or suppressed traumatic experiences that were left unresolved as a child because these tend to resurface as the individual slows down later in life.

A big part of the aging population suffers from some kind of physical condition and therefore takes medication for it. These drugs may be needed to maintain normal daily functioning however, some of these meds may have side effects that could cause or worsen depression. There are some medicines for pain relief, for lowering blood pressure and for controlling anxiety that have depression as a common side effect. Other drugs that have this effect are heart medications, hormones, anticancer agents, antipsychotic agents, medication for the control of Parkinson's disease and for arthritis. There are drugs, even when combined, which have no unpleasant effects. However some drugs, when taken together and are allowed to interact, can result in adverse effects. To avoid these non-therapeutic outcomes, physicians should be aware of the different types, dosages and drug interactions of the medications the patient takes and discuss with their clients the importance of strict compliance to the treatment regimen. Treating depression using antidepressants sometimes is not the best approach because there is a high risk for unfavorable drug interactions. Elders taking antidepressants should be closely monitored for changes. Also, some antidepressant medications create dependencies. Depression is closely associated to the abuse of prescription drugs or alcohol and is quite common in the elderly.

Depression can also be deeply rooted in the personality structure of a person especially when he has some unresolved issues or trauma from early life. Also, when a person already has low self-esteem, is unconfident and generally has a negative outlook on life, it is not surprising that he will be depressed. In addition, depression is recurring. It occurs much more in elders with a history of depression. Depression usually would set in when the person is deprived of sufficient emotional and psychological support or is not psychologically ready to encounter life changes like retirement, disability, being unmarried, loss and bereavement. In these times of crisis, the person feels alone, unwanted and isolated and needs much attention and support.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Depression

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