Elderly Depression Causes and Symptoms;
Even Old People Get the Blues
Elderly depression is all too common and often goes undiagnosed.
Did you know that untreated elderly depression is most likely to lead to suicide?
As we age, especially in youth-oriented cultures such as ours, many older adults begin to feel that their value has diminished. This is sure to make anyone feel sad. This sadness can easily deepen into elderly depression.
There are four major groupings under which causes of elderly depression can be placed. These are:
- Physical factors
- Heredity – some persons are pre-disposed to depression
- Constant pain
- Major health issues such as cancer
- Psychological factors
- Increasing fear of death, especially after experiencing the deaths of loved ones – spouse, relatives or friends of the same age group
- Problems adjusting to change, such as moving into a nursing / senior home or having to leave the old neighborhood
- Lingering feelings of guilt or sadness for unaccomplished goals
- Personality factors
- Difficulty coping with becoming dependent
- Loss of self-confidence and self-esteem
- Medications
- Some medication that seniors are dependent on can trigger elderly depression
Apart from depression medication and counseling, seniors also need to pay attention to their diet in their fight against depression.
We believe that nutritional deficiency plays a role in the development and treatment of depression.
For seniors especially it is important that proper attention be paid to getting enough minerals and vitamins. Researchers have found that persons with depression tend to have low levels of Vitamin B6 and B9.
Although treating elderly depression is important, as Nancy Miller states in her book, "7 Steps to a Depression Free Life – A Self Help Guide", this is not enough as the underlying cause of depression remains.
She writes that "Medication, therapy or life's circumstances can help move us out of depression but the real challenge is finding a way not to return."
To help our seniors lead a depression free life we must include in their depression treatment option a means of identifying and getting rid of stressors.