Symptoms Depression Elderly: How To Spot It

2008-02-08 Word Count: 457 Category: Depression

Late-life depression affects about 6 million Americans age 65 and older, but only 10% receive treatment. Depression in later life frequently coexists with other medical illnesses and disabilities. In addition, advancing age is often accompanied by loss of key social support systems due to the death of a spouse or siblings, retirement or relocation of residence. Depression geriatric greatly diminishes a person's quality of life, personal joy and productivity. Frail elderly persons, the residents in assisted living facilities, too often experience depression.
Elderly people with depression may be delayed in proper and effective treatment by doctors due to their transformation in certain situations and the very fact that they are expected to slow down. Even the family members may not rightly understand them. This leads to further suffering which could have been easily treated during initial stages.
Depression seems to be friendlier with elderly people and lasts longer rather than youngsters. This results in the risk of death. Studies conducted on nursing home patients reveal that the presence of depression compounded with physical ailments increased the chances of death. Patients with depression usually die followed by a heart attack. Henceforth it's highly important to understand and treat an elderly person you are concerned with carefully, though the depression is in its initial stage.
Elderly patients coping with depression are more likely to turn suicidal than younger individuals facing depression. In fact, that National Institute of Mental Health considers depression among people over 65 to be a major health problem. The highest suicide risk is among elderly white males. White males ages 80-84 are twice as likely to commit suicide as the overall population. Among the symptoms of depression among the elderly are changes in sleep pattern and weight that are not related to physical problems.
Depression, one of the major causes for suicide attempts particularly older adults. Elder people those are diagnosed with symptoms like clinical depression have approximately 50% higher healthcare expenses unlike the non-depressed seniors. Long term illness like diabetes, stroke, heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and arthritis are very common in lateral life. This long term illness has a huge impact on clinical depression. The direct and indirect elderly depression costs are estimated to be nearly $22 billion a year.
Factors that increase the risk of depression in the elderly include being female, unmarried (especially if widowed), stressful life events, and lack of a supportive social network. Having physical conditions like stroke, cancer and dementia further increases that risk. While symptoms depression elderly may be an effect of certain health problems, it can also increase a person's risk of developing other illnesses, primarily those affecting the immune system, like infections.

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Late-life depression affects about 6 million Americans age 65 and older, but only 10% receive treatment. Depression in later life frequently coexists with other medical illnesses and disabilities. Depression geriatric (geriatric-depression.org/depression_and_elderly_care.php) greatly diminishes a person's quality of life, personal joy and productivity.