Seniors & Depression

Coping with the various factors of aging such health issues, retirement and the deaths of loved ones can inevitably lead to depression. However, according to Psychology Information Online, depression in senior citizens is not a normal condition.

Identification

Senior citizens who are depressed may feel sad all the time, lose interest in once pleasurable activities, suffer from eating and sleeping issues and even have thoughts of suicide.

Function

Depression is often a symptom of other medical conditions that can afflict senior citizens such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

Causes

There are numerous factors that can lead to depression. These include trauma, personality type, medication use or other substances and genetics. People with depression in their family are often predisposed to the condition.

Prevention/Solution

Depression is treated with medications and/or cognitive therapy. Many seniors may be resistant to therapy but it is useful and can help replace negative thought patterns with healthy ones.

Considerations

When dealing with the elderly, it is important to recognize the differences between dementia and depression. Mental decline in people with depression is quite quick while it happens gradually in people with dementia.