Depression is a major condition for older adults. More often than not, depression goes untreated and unrecognized by many older Americans as well as their care-givers.

Approximately 15 out of every 100 adults over the age of 65 have signs of depression. The ratio is even higher in nursing homes and hospitals. When a senior suffers from depression it may be a reoccurrence of an earlier depression or it may be a first time because of a major medical condition. When the depression is a result of a medical condition, it may be more difficult to recognize and more difficult to endure.

Among senior adults, depression and anxiety rank as the most common conditions. Because of the changes associated with aging, many people may overlook the symptoms of these conditions as part of aging itself; it is not. Behavioral conditions rob a senior adult of their ability to continue enjoying life. When depression, anxiety or any other behavioral health condition begins, it can increase the potential for drug and alcohol abuse.

Depression can be caused by any number of factors including:

• Loss of a loved one
  (husband, wife, child, friend, etc.)

• Changes in physical health
  (cancer, heart disease, stroke, etc.)

• Major life changes
  (move, retirement, mobility, etc.)

The signs of depression are subtle and can be overlooked as part of the aging process, but they are not. The National Mental Health Association and the National Institute of Health suggest the following behaviors as warning signs of depression :

• Persistent sadness (Lasting two weeks or more)

• Feeling slowed down

• Excessive worries about finances and health problems

• Frequent tearfulness

• Feeling worthless or helpless

• Weight changes

• Pacing and fidgeting

• Difficulty sleeping

• Difficulty concentrating

• Physical symptoms such as pain or gastrointestinal problems

Explanations for lack of activities may include:

• “It’s too much trouble,”

• “I don’t feel well enough,” or

• “I don’t have the energy.”

Behavioral health care is vital for senior adults to have a full life; however, so often there are factors that keep them from seeking care. Fear of what their friends or family might think can cause a senior adult to continue to suffer. Worrying over how to pay for the care and the negative stereotypes of people who seek behavioral health care can all contribute to a senior suffering alone.

Treatment options include individual, group and family therapy programs and medications. Together, these treatment options can help a senior adult find the job that they may have thought gone.

Mountain View Hospital and GrandView Behavioral Health Centers, offer partial day treatment programs for senior adults in Gadsden, Pell City, Montgomery and Fort Payne. These programs provide complete assessment and evaluation based on proven criteria for admission and treatment. If you or someone you know has or you think they may have a behavioral condition that is robbing them of life’s greatest time, please call the CARELINE at 1 (800) 662-1002, for more information.

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Depression Self Test

1. Yes No     Are you basically satisfied with your life?
2. Yes No     Have you dropped many of your activities and interests?
3. Yes No     Do you feel that your life is empty?
4. Yes No     Do you often get bored?
5. Yes No     Are you in good spirits most of the time?
6. Yes No     Are you afraid that something bad is going to happen to you?
7. Yes No     Do you feel happy most of the time?
8. Yes No     Do you often feel helpless?
9. Yes No     Do you prefer to stay at home rather than going out and doing things?
10. Yes No     Do you feel you have more problems with memory than most?
11. Yes No     Do you think it is wonderful to be alive now?
12. Yes No     Do you feel pretty worthless the way you are now?
13. Yes No     Do you feel full of energy?
14. Yes No     Do you feel that your situation is hopeless?
15. Yes No     Do you think that most people are better off than you?

1. No                       4. Yes                     7. No                       10. Yes                     13. No

Get The Facts . . .

• Fifty-eight (58) percent of older Americans think that depression is part of getting older

• Only ten (10) percent of the estimated 6 million older Americans, most of which are women, seek treatment for depression

• Approximately fifteen (15) percent of community residents over 65 years of age have depressive symptoms

• Older American patients with depression have roughly fifty (50) percent higher health care costs than non-depressed seniors

• Sixty-eight (68) percent of seniors over age 65 know little or nothing about depression

• Only thirty-eight (38) percent of senior Americans believe that depression is a “health problem”

• Only forty-two (42) percent of seniors would seek help from a behavioral health care professional

• One quarter (25) percent of all suicides occur in the elderly, a fifty (50) percent increase in suicide than any other age category

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