Depression refers to medical illness where the body of a person, the mind and the thought are involved. Depression is known to tamper with the manner in which the body operates where the normal manner people do their things and the body operate is affected negatively (Abraham, Terry and Koen, 17). For instance, when a person is depressed, they find it hard to sleep well as well as eating habits are negatively affected. In addition to that, personal feelings are affected and the manner in which a person perceives things is also affected. Depression in most cases is said to affect the elderly in a major way, as compared to the cases with young people. The rationale of this paper is to examine the reason as to why the senior people are prone to depression, compared to the young generation. In addition to that, we shall evaluate the type of depression that is associated with the elderly people. We shall evaluate and establish the possible causes of this form of depression and find out the amicable solution to this problem.
One of the most common types of depression that is largely associated with the elderly people is the geriatric depression. Geriatric depression is a form of emotional and mental disorder which in most cases affects the old people. Elderly person suffering from this type of depression show certain characteristics (Roose, 69). For instance, it is common for such old persons to experience blue moods that are occasional as well as feeling sad is a common thing. Several researches that have been carried out with regard to this type of depression have shown that aging is not a typical part of this type of depression.
Another form of depression that the elderly are prone to suffer from is the subsyndromal depression. According to research that has been carried out, this type of depression fall short of the characteristics of major types of depressions. It is on record that around 5 million elderly citizens in the United States of America are victims suffering from this type of depression. Further research indicates that this type of depression has the capacity to cause more harm since it may lead to the major type of depression in a case where they are not treated for long.
Research has it that victims of these types of depression are likely to commit suicide. However cases of suicide are mostly associated with the young people in the United State. For the elderly cases of suicide accounts for only 16 percent of all the deaths considering the fact that the elderly population in the United State of America is only 12 percent (Manthorpe, 75). Several factors have been brought forward as some possible reasons of geriatric type of depression. Records has it that there is no direct cause of depression across all the age groups, scientific research has given indications that there exist possibility of the disease being linked to genetic factors. In addition to that, it have been established that social, biological and psychological factors have a role that they play with regard to depression among the old citizens (Manthorpe, 75).
Some of the factors that research has shown to have a direct link to the venerability of the elderly to depression include having neurotransmitter chemicals in low level in the brain due to their age factor. In addition to that the elderly may be from families that have depression histories. Another factor that has a direct link with regard to elderly being prone to depression is different live events that are traumatic. For instance death of a close loved one may cause depression among the aged or an abuse towards them.
Another school of thought proposes that elderly people have very many complications and this could be a source of depression. Some of the complication that has been highlighted among the aged that contribute to depression include limited mobility (Andrews, 197).
Since the aged have problems with moving around, they get stressed up and in the long run they get depressed. Isolation has been brought forward as another reason for depression among the aged. This is because the aged are isolated from the other in most cases which may fuel the chances of getting depressed. Another factor that the aged face that contribute to their chance of getting depressed is the fact that they are facing mortality. The mentality that they will soon die haunts them and as a result they end up being depressed. In addition to that, the transition that takes place from work and now to retirement does not get well with the elderly and therefore it is a source of depression (Manthorpe, 96).
Another factor that has increased the chance of the elderly being depressed is the fact that they are financially unstable. This means that they are not able to cater for their basic needs and therefore depend on others. Where their needs are not well meet according to their wishes, they end up being stressed and later depressed. In a situation where the elderly are drugs or substance abusers, the situation gets even worse since they may not be in a position to obtain the drugs. As a result they feel uncomfortable since they can manage to cope with the new way of life. As a result they get depressed unlike the young people who have the capacity to move around and obtain all they want (Bressler and Michael, 165).
There are other factors that have been brought forth as possible cause especially among the old. For instance, when the elderly people loose people close to them such as family member or spouses, they are prone to depression. The fact that they will suffer boredom and the fact that they are also moving the same path is a source of depression. The case of the elderly is different from other age groups since they have the capacity to adjust to changes as they are strong (Oxman, 165).
The other factor that has been suggested as a source of depression among the old unlike among the other age groups is their medical situations that at times are chronic. Where the elderly are suffering from diseases that are chronic for instance cancer, they lose the hope of recovering since they are on their sunset days. These makes them depressed since their future is not any bright. These is not the case among the youth since they have the energy to go through the tough times and therefore they don’t get easily depressed and have the courage to face life (Oxman, 166).
Diagnosis of geriatric depression
The diagnosis and the treatment of this type of depression among the elderly is one of the most difficult tasks. This became even more difficulty where the elderly are living under assisted care. However experts from mental health have the capacity to assess the mood, symptoms, day to day behaviours and activities as a form of diagnosis. The expert will also ask the patient several questions with regard to their feeling of depression to ascertain their condition. The symptom displayed by the patient must be seen for at least two weeks (Morley, 216).
Once they have been diagnosed, they start their treatment. No particular treatment can be attributed to the depression just like the cases of the causes. It takes time for the health expert to establish the combination of treatment that will best fit the patient. The medical experts may use medical treatment or advocate for some changes in the lifestyle. Among the lifestyle changes that the medical experts may advocate for in the treatment of depression is increasing their physical activity. The health expert may advise the elderly persons to find new interests or hobbies as well as visiting family members regularly and also their close friends (Oxman, 169). The elderly persons may also be advised to ensure that they get enough sleep every day to ensure that they relax enough. In addition to that, the health expert may consider advising these patients to ensure they take meals that are well balanced to ensure that they remain strong (Ciraulo,54). There are also other therapies that the elderly people can be prescribed for to treat the depression. Art therapy and psychotherapy are among the therapies that can be prescribed for the patients.
In conclusion, we find that elderly people are more prone to depression compared to the other age groups. There are a number of factor that contribute to these condition especially due to advanced age. However several solutions have been suggested.
Work cited
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Andrews, Linda W. Encyclopedia of Depression. Santa Barbara, Calif: Greenwood Press, 2010. Internet resource.
Manthorpe, Jill, and Steve Iliffe. Depression in Later Life. London: Jessica Kingsley, 2005. Internet resource.
Bressler, Rubin, and Michael D. Katz. Geriatric Pharmacology. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003. Print.
Oxman, Thomas E. Late-life Depression. Princeton, NJ: Films for The Humanities & Sciences, 2004.
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Glazer, William M, Jeanne Jackson, and Alan Siegal. Geriatric Depression: Recognition, Diagnosis, Challenges. , 2009.
Morley, John E, and D R. Thomas. Geriatric Nutrition. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2007. Print.
Lichtenberg, Peter A. Depression in Geriatric Medical and Nursing Home Patients: A Treatment Manual. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2008. Print.
