Depression is Not a Normal Part of Growing Older
Depression is a true medical condition that can be treated, just like diabetes or hypertension, and it is more common in older adults. If you are concerned about a loved one, offer to accompany him or her to a health care provider to be diagnosed and treated.
How Do I Know if it’s Depression
Depressed people have feelings of hopelessness and pessimism, guilt, worthlessness, and helplessness, as well as irritability, restlessness, and low energy. Suicide thoughts and attempts, as well as persistent aches and pains, can be signs of depression.
How is Depression Different for Older Adults
Depression is more common in people who also have other illnesses (such as heart disease or cancer), and older adults are frequently misdiagnosed and undertreated.
How Many Older Adults are Depressed
According to the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIH), major depression in older people living in the community can range from less than 1% to about 5%, but it can rise to 13.5% in those who require home healthcare or are hospitalized.
How Do I Find Help
When older adults are treated with antidepressants, psychotherapy, or a combination of the two, their symptoms usually improve. If you are concerned that a loved one is depressed, offer to accompany him or her to a health care provider to be diagnosed and treated.
What percentage of elderly suffer from depression?
The good news is that the vast majority of older adults are not depressed; estimates of major depression in community-dwelling older people range from less than 1% to about 5%, but rise to 13.5% in those who require home healthcare and 11.5% in older hospitalized patients.
What percentage of adults aged 65 years or older currently have depression?
In 2006, adults aged 50u201364 reported higher rates of current depression and lifetime diagnosis of depression than those aged 65 and up (9.4% vs. 5.0% for current depressive symptoms and 19.3% vs. 10.5% for lifetime diagnosis of depression, respectively).
What age group has highest rate of depression?
Women were more likely than men to experience mild, moderate, or severe symptoms of depression. The percentage of adults who experienced any symptoms of depression was highest among those aged 18u201329 (21.0%), followed by those aged 45u201364 (18.4%) and 65 and over (18.4%), and finally, those aged 30u201344 (16.8%).
Is depression more prevalent in old age?
Although depression is less common in older adults than in younger adults, it can have serious consequences; more than half of cases occur later in life, and suicide rates in the elderly are still higher than in younger adults, and are more closely associated with depression.
Is Getting Old Depressing?
Despite popular belief, anxiety and depression are not a natural part of aging, and no one is forced to accept them. In fact, as people age, mood and anxiety disorders become less common, but detection rates are also lower.
What is the most common cause of depression in older adults?
The loss of a spouse or partner, as well as the death of friends, family members, and pets, are all common causes of depression in older adults.
Are adults more likely to have mental illness?
In 2019, 20.6% of adults in the United States (51.5 million people) were affected by mental illness, or 1 in every 5 adults. In 2019, 5.2% of adults in the United States (13.1 million people) were affected by serious mental illness, or 1 in every 20 adults.
What is the most serious symptom of depression?
Feelings of hopelessness, irritability, loss of pleasure, difficulty concentrating or sleeping, or thoughts of death or suicide are all signs of severe depression. 1 Technically, severe depression isn’t a formal mental health diagnosis; rather, it refers to depression that is more debilitating in nature.
What is depression often mistaken for?
Chronic fatigue syndrome is underdiagnosed in more than 80% of people who have it, according to a study published in The Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, with depression being the most common misdiagnosis.
What age group is most suicidal?
According to the NVDRS 2015 data, men over 65 were the most likely to commit suicide (27.67 suicides per 100,000), followed by men 40u201364 (27.10 suicides per 100,000), with men 20u201339 (23.41 per 100,000) and 15u201319 (13.81 per 100,000) being the least likely.
What gender is more likely to be depressed?
Depression affects nearly twice as many women as it does men, and it can strike at any age. Some mood swings and depressed feelings are caused by normal hormonal changes.
Which month is the most depressing?
Blue Monday is the name given to a day in January (typically the third Monday of the month) that is said to be the most depressing day of the year by Sky Travel, a UK travel company.
What can happen if you don’t treat depression?
Untreated clinical depression is a serious problem because it increases the risk of risky behaviors like drug or alcohol addiction, as well as destroying relationships, causing work problems, and making it difficult to overcome serious illnesses.
What is the most effective treatment for depression in older adults?
According to research, psychotherapy is just as likely to be an effective first treatment for depression in older adults as taking an antidepressant, and some older adults would rather get counseling or psychotherapy for depression than take more medications for other conditions.
What are the best antidepressants for the elderly?
Citalopram, escitalopram, and sertraline are SSRIs with the best safety profile in the elderly, with the lowest potential for drug-drug interactions based on their cytochrome P-450 interactions.