Signs of depression in older adults

Does depression affect memory in older adults? Is depression a normal part of getting older? What are signs of depression?

Damage to body image (from amputation, cancer surgery , or heart attack ) Family history of major depressive disorder. Living alone, social isolation.

Being worried and anxious. Lack of energy and motivation in older adults and the elderly. Inexplicable or aggravated pains and aches can be a sign of depression. Although most cases of depression are diagnosed in young adults, depression can occur at any age.

Certain people are at a higher risk for developing depression. 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.

There are many reasons why depression in older people is often missed or untreated.

Depression in Seniors Is Often Overlooked. The signs are much more varied for seniors than younger individuals, making it tricky to recognize the condition and differentiate it from others. Symptoms of depression in older adults The essential feature of a major depressive episode is a period of at least two weeks when the person experiences either depressed mood (most of the day, nearly every day) or loss of interest or pleasure in nearly all activities. They can include: sadness. Older adults are at increased risk.

We know that about of older adults have at least one chronic health condition , and have two or more. 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. But, it is common for seniors to experience it.

Certain medications can also have side effects that contribute to depression. Signs of depression in older adults affect nearly million Americans age and older. Of these, only about receive treatment.

Untreate depression can have serious consequences on a person’s wellbeing. 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. Signs and symptoms of depression in older adults Recognizing depression in the elderly starts with knowing the signs and symptoms.

Ongoing sadness and anxiety. Tiredness or lack of energy. Loss of interest or pleasure in everyday activities, including sex.

Sleep problems, including trouble getting to sleep, very early morning waking, and sleeping too much. 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. Dementia and depression. The symptoms of anxiety in older people are sometimes not all.

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.