Depression in older adults
Everyone feels sad sometimes. But later life can give you more reasons to feel down. You may have to deal with stopping work, having less money, arthritis or other health problems, or the death of a partner or friends.
In spite of these difficulties, older people don't feel depressed all the time: less than one older person in six feels so depressed that they or others notice. Less than one in 30 older people become ill with depression. But if you do, the help available will work for you just as it does for younger people.
What is it like to have depression?
- Feeling low or sad is not the only sign of depression. You may:
- Lose interest in life - you can't enjoy the things you usually do
- Feel tired for no reason. You just don't feel like doing anything. Simple things take a big effort
- Lose your appetite - and weight
- Feel restless - and find it hard to relax
- Worry more than is usual for you
- Want to avoid people
- Feel snappy or irritable with people
- Sleep badly. You may wake an hour or two earlier than usual and find that you can't get back to sleep
- Lose confidence in yourself
- Feel useless or a burden to others
- Notice that you can't concentrate properly
- Feel panicky
- Feel bad or guilty. You dwell on things from the past and may get things out of proportion
- Think about suicide - at some point most people with severe depression will feel like ending it all.
Particular problems for older people
Some physical illnesses can give you symptoms that are similar to those in depression. For example, loss of appetite or poor sleep can be caused by thyroid problems, heart disease or arthritis.
If you become depressed, you may start to get more upset by your health, even though it hasn't really changed for the worse. Treating the depression can't take away physical health problems, but it can make them much more bearable.
Depression, worry and anxiety can affect your memory and make you feel confused. So, occasionally, severe depression can look just like dementia (a permanent loss of memory).
Living alone does not automatically make you depressed. But feeling lonelier for no obvious reason may be a sign of depression.
Helping yourself
- Ask for help. Just because you are older, you don't have to put up with being depressed.
- It can be difficult when you get older because of physical problems like stiff joints or swollen ankles, but it's worth doing.
- Try to eat properly. Older bodies cannot adjust as well as younger ones - so this can really affect your health. Beware of stocking up on chocolate and biscuits - these are quick and easy to eat, but they don't have the vitamins and minerals to keep you feeling well.
- Keep reminding yourself that you are ill. You are not being lazy or letting other people down.
- Keep reminding yourself that the vast majority of people get better.
- Tell someone if you feel so low that you feel like ending it all.
- Try not to keep your feelings to yourself. Talking to somebody does help.
- Alcohol can make depression worse. It may also react with any tablets you are taking.
- Try not to panic about not sleeping properly. It will get better when the depression lifts.
- Try not to change the tablets you are on without discussing it with your doctor. If your tablets have side-effects, tell your doctor or nurse.
- Try not to think that depression causes dementia. It doesn't.
The information above is an extract taken from an article entitled 'Depression in older adults' and published with the kind permission of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. For the full article, please visit: http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinfoforall/problems/depression/depressioninolderadults.aspx
