Elderly Depression

Some people think that elderly depression is normal. Truth is that most senior citizens are able to get through the challenges of aging wholly satisfied with the life they have lived.

Still, depression among elderly is very common especially in highly industrialized countries. In the United States, the National Institute of Health found out that 2 million senior citizens in America, ages 65 and older, suffer from severe clinical depression while 5 million others suffer from mild cases of psychological and emotional disorders.

This growing number of depressed senior citizens can be attributed to the ignorance of their family members and friends. Most people assume that it is natural for aging people to feel depressed, thus, taking for granted the real causes of depression. Aside from that, in most developed countries, senior citizens usually live alone, if not, are taken to a nursing home away from their loved ones.

This isolation may cause them further distress which leads to bouts of depression. Physicians themselves may ignore the fact that an elderly is depressed as they tend to focus on the patient’s physiological concerns. Besides, senior citizens themselves do not talk about their emotions, or do not have someone to talk to.

The causes of elderly depression can be quite easy to assess. Emotional stress caused by losing a loved one can be aggravated by other factors such as physical ailments, medication, substance abuse, and fatigue. The fact that most senior citizens are usually left by their families also makes it difficult for them to cope with their conditions.

Senior citizens feel helpless with people they do not know. Most of the time, their physical concerns are mere manifestation of their mental conditions. To address the needs of their body, one must consider the individual’s emotional and mental health. Alzheimer’s disease, for example, is sometimes triggered by depression and is not a normal part of aging.