The Old People And Depression
The aging process brings with it health deterioration, the death of life partners or friends and also limited independence. These factors almost every time increase the predisposition to depression.
Although it is a part of the aging process itself, depression may and should be treated.
The symptoms are common for old and young people. Additional depressing factors may be at old age the thought of death and a medical problem.
Symptoms and signs
- Withdrawal from social interaction · Hopelessness
- Thoughts of suicide
- Decreased appetite
- Constant “blue” or sad mood that does not improve even with happy occurrences
- Reduced total sleep time
- Frequent waking during the night
- Irritability
- Frequent tearfulness or crying without an obvious precipitating event .
- Frequent physical complaints (example: stomachaches, headaches, dizziness, and/or joint pain that does not respond or responds inconsistently to treatment, despite a thorough medical evaluation and therapy)
- Increased fatigue or lack of energy
- Decreased interest in usual pleasurable activities
- Guilt or preoccupation with past events
- Decreased concentration and/or increased forgetfulness
Masked depression and pseudo-dementia
“Masked depression” represents for depression a similar stage to that of denial in alcoholism. The people affected by this form will complain always about anything else except for their depression. Physiological depression becomes physical complaint. Pseudo – dementia is a derivative disease from masked depression and causes memory and concentration problems sharing at certain point some symptoms of dementia. It goes away when depression is properly cured.