Seniors Facing Depression

Depression can affect any age and it should never be considered normal for anyone. Seniors can face depression during their later years of life. Stress is a major factor that comes with aging and can be a cause of the onset of depression. Changes can disturb seniors on many levels. One change is moving from a full time job to retirement. Seniors face health issues, including disability and immobility. Their troubles can be compounded by medical bills. Plus, seniors often face the loss of a spouse, which can create a sense of isolation and loneliness.

Feeling lonely often leads to depression in seniors. One sure sign of depression is when someone states, "No one cares about me." Sadness comes and goes in normal living; however, clinical depression seems to stay for the duration. Clinical depression confronts the entire body with seniors, altering their thinking, emotions, and vital health.

Depression in seniors is not a small matter. Three out of every one hundred seniors, 65 and older, have become victims of depression. Eighty percent of these seniors can be treated to resume normal living. Sadly, some depressed seniors end their own lives.

Treatment is a three-fold process. First, a senior must be diagnosed by a psychologist. Second, there must be counseling and psychotherapy with behavioral therapy, coping skills, and interpersonal therapy. Four main areas are addressed in this process: pessimistic ideas, low self-esteem, unrealistic expectations, and critical self-evaluation. Third is a regiment of antidepressant medications.

Seniors facing depression usually are less likely to show any sadness or seek any treatment, and so it depends on family and caregivers to be alert to any signs of depression. There always is hope and help for any senior struggling with depression.