“Dad, why aren’t you at your art class? Isn’t it on Wednesday?”
Nancy’s father shrugged and dropped his hands into his lap. “I don’t know. It seemed like too much effort.”
Nancy stared at her father with concern. “But you loved that class! You made friends there, and had fun. When did you stop going?”
Her father sighed. “A few weeks ago.”
But it had been longer than that. He’d been diagnosed with heart disease a month ago, and since then his enthusiasm for the activities which used to give him joy had waned.
He had started to show symptoms of depression, but because this disease often looks different in the elderly, it might take months for anyone to properly diagnose him.
Depression is a serious illness affecting approximately 15 out of every 100 adults over age 65 in the United States [and Canada.] The disorder affects a much higher percentage of people in hospitals and nursing homes. When depression occurs in late life, it sometimes can be a relapse of an earlier depression. But when it occurs for the first time in older adults, it usually is brought on by another medical illness. When someone is already ill, depression can be both more difficult to recognize and more difficult to endure. 1
What depression isn’t
- The blues, a passing ‘bad day,’ or a bad mood
- Ordinary sadness or grief. Grief can trigger depression, but is normal, and is tied to an event, such as a death or loss. An elder may feel low and feel sorrow after the death of a beloved animal, but that’s a normal emotion, and wouldn’t be diagnosed as depression.
- Specific to a certain age group, class or culture. Anyone can experience depression.
- A weakness. Society tends to honour the strong, such as those who soldier through difficult situations (or difficult emotions) and don’t talk about their pain. We give lip service to vulnerability, but say things like, “He’s so strong.” “She never complains.” Depression isn’t a character weakness.
- Something you need to live with. Depression is treatable. With proper diagnosis, there are many treatments and therapies which can help.
What is depression?
Depression (major depressive disorder) is a common and serious mental disorder that negatively affects how you feel, think, act, and perceive the world. 2
But in the elderly, depression can look different than in younger people. It can present as physical complaints, low energy or apathy and cognitive issues. Do you see the thread connecting all of these? Each of these can be written off as a part of aging. “That’s just getting old,” someone may say. “It’s not for sissies.”
Because of this, depression in the elderly is often missed, because the elder doesn’t see a doctor for their symptoms. They believe it’s their lot as an older person. Another problem is that several other common diseases can mimic the symptoms of depression. These include:
- A vitamin deficiency–lack of vitamin D and B12 can mimic the symptoms of depression.
- Did you know one in five people don’t know they have diabetes? Tiredness, irritability and weight loss, which may have been attributed to depression, may be linked to diabetes.
- A low thyroid
- Some forms of cancer. Some studies are also looking for a link between depression and cancer, as depression can appear before a cancer diagnosis.
- Dementia
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Prolonged grief (which is diagnosed as “prolonged grief disorder” and treated differently than depression)
- Side effects of some medications
- Anemia 3.
Any elder experiencing symptoms which go on for more than a few weeks should see a doctor and have a full medical workup, including blood work, physical and medication review. Treatment will give them the tools to experience life as it should be–full, interesting and full of purpose.
- https://aagponline.org/patient-article/depression-in-late-life-not-a-natural-part-of-aging/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2852580/
- https://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-living/conditions-that-mimic-depression/
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A good word as usual. Thank you!