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Although depression is usually associated with young people, it is also common in the elderly. The difference is that seniors are more likely to have somatic symptoms, and younger people have mental symptoms. We check what symptoms can cause anxiety and what the treatment of senile depression looks like.
Depression in a senior – what age is it most common?
Depression in senior citizens is not an isolated phenomenon. More and more elderly people have symptoms that should be diagnosed and worked out with a psychologist. Depression most often affects people over the age of 65. There are also cases of seniors over 80 who struggle with depressive states. Although it initially seemed that women were more depressed, it turns out that gender does not matter in this case.
The main causes of psychosocial depression in the elderly are physical disability resulting from surgery or sudden illness. The death of a spouse is also given as one of the causes of deepening depression, as is isolation, as well as a sudden change in life (moving to a nursing home or living with children). Depression is also caused by anger resulting from the fear of progressive and, above all, noticeable changes caused by the aging of the organism.
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Depression in senior citizens – biological causes
The main biological cause senile depression is progressive Alzheimer’s disease, the deterioration of mental state of which can be a significant component. Anorexia and drowsiness are, in turn, somatic factors that indirectly affect the well-being of an elderly person. The same is true of chronic pain and infections.
Depression in a senior – mental symptoms
The symptoms of senile depression are often divided into two groups: mental (non-somatic) and somatic. The first of them includes mainly disorders of the will, defining the lack of purpose in the life of an elderly person. For this reason, it is so important to activate seniors in public life. In addition, the elderly are more likely to approach their behavior and committed mistakes critically, which is referred to as intellectual disorders.
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Depression in a senior – somatic symptoms
Among the somatic symptoms, patients most often report:
- lack of sleep or excessive sleepiness;
- stomach pain;
- tearfulness / mood swings;
- headaches;
- reduced mobility;
- lack of appetite;
- no interests.
Depression in senior citizens – diagnosis and treatment
Depression in the elderly is diagnosed not only by an interview with a doctor, but also by simple tests. The psychologist can use the Katz Scale, Yesavage Geriatric Depression Rating Scale or the Patient Health Questionnaire. The most frequently used forms of assistance to patients with senile depression include physical activity, classes in retirement homes, nature therapy, pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy.
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