Signs of depression in elderly adults

What are common symptoms of depression? What is the best antidepressant for an elderly person? Why is it important to treat depression in elderly people? Are these early signs of depression?

WebMD explains the signs of depression in your aging loved one and different treatment options. A person with depression cannot simply “snap out of it”—it is a medical condition that affects your quality of life. Depression can also lead to suicide, particularly if left untreate and you are more likely to develop a physical illness if you have depression. The good news is that, in most cases, depression is treatable in older adults.

Geriatric depression is a mental and emotional disorder affecting older adults. Feelings of sadness and occasional blue” moods are normal. However, lasting depression is not a typical part of. Depression is a common problem among older adults , but it is NOT a normal part of aging.

In fact, studies show that most older adults feel satisfied with their lives, despite having more illnesses or physical problems. Chronic medical ailments can cause depression in older adults and the elderly. The depressive feelings in older adults and seniors are often associated with physical illness, which increases the risk of depression. Elderly patients might also be reluctant to talk about their feelings or fail to understand that physical symptoms can be a sign of depression. For elderly people living independently, isolation can make it difficult to reach out for help.

In older adults , many of the symptoms of depression may go overlooked and untreated as they overlap with stressful life events or physical disorders that accompany advancing age. Late-onset depression is a form of depression that is experienced for the first time in a person over the age of 65. While older adults are too often misdiagnosed or inadequately treated for their depression , it is not a normal part of the aging process. Make sure you know the warning signs of depression in older adults so you can help them seek treatment. We often erroneously associate irritability in seniors as normal growing pain.

It is a mood disorder in which feelings of sadness, loss, anger, or frustration interfere with daily life for weeks or longer. It is often not recognized or treated. Depression in older adults is a widespread problem, but it is not a normal part of aging.

You’d think it would be easy to detect depression in an older person — after all, many signs of sadness, including tears and lethargy, are visible. But depression , like many other ailments, often manifests differently in the elderly compared with younger people. An older person may be depressed if, for more than two weeks, he or she has felt sa down or miserable most of the time or has lost interest or pleasure in most of his or her usual activities, and similar to anxiety, has experienced several of the signs and symptoms across at least three of the categories below. Signs of depression in teens and young adults. Teenagers can also experience depression , but it may be difficult for their caregivers to recognize the symptoms, and many cases go undiagnosed and untreated.

To help the elderly person with depression , you need to know the general signs of depression in elderly and understand the causes of depression in older adults. Signs and symptoms of depression in older adults Recognizing depression in the elderly starts with knowing the signs and symptoms. The fact that elderliness is accepted as a property of depressive symptoms both by the relatives of the patients and doctors is one of the factors which make it difficult. Seniors often assume that feeling depressed is a natural part of the aging process, and while short periods of sadness are to be expecte major depression is not.

If you have elderly family members or friends, know the risk factors for and the signs of depression in older adults. However older adults are at an increased risk for experiencing depression. If you are concerned about a loved one, offer to go with him or her to see a health care provider to be diagnosed and treated.

There are many reasons why depression in older people is often missed or untreated. The signs are much more varied for seniors than younger individuals, making it tricky to recognize the condition and differentiate it from others.