Dear reader, have you ever heard of geriatric depression or depression in the elderly? and whether it differs from ordinary depression? What are the symptoms of geriatric depression? What are the factors that may lead to it? And how can it be treated? All this and more we get to know in this article.
What is Geriatric Depression?
From it’s name we can guess that geriatric depression is the depression that affect elderly people. Aging may cause the mental health of the elderly to be worse, that maybe because of many factors like retirement from their job, living alone or the extreme change of their daily life style. also some health conditions that are related to elderly may lead to depression like Alzheimer’s disease.
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Symptoms of Geriatric Depression
Geriatric depression symptoms may vary from case to another, but the most common symptoms can include:
- Feeling very sad.
- Feeling hopeless and frustrated.
- Loss of desire and pleasure in doing anything.
- Lack of energy, avoiding participation in recreational and social activities.
- Sleep disturbances such as sleeping for long hours or insomnia.
- Feeling guilty.
- Contempt and self-flagellation.
- Overworking or not wanting to work at all.
- Loss of self-confidence and feeling of failure.
Symptoms of Geriatric Depression in women
For women, they may have the same symptoms of geriatric depression as men, but there may be some symptoms that are more noticeable in women, including the following:
- Feeling back pain.
- Feeling tired and exhausted.
- Digestive disorders.
- Change in appetite, overeating, or loss of appetite that resulting in a change in weight.
- Constant anxiety about the future, and panic attacks.
- Mood swings.
- Finding it difficult to complete daily tasks.
- Inability to make any fateful decisions.
- Nervousness, extreme anger, and crying over the simplest things.
Causes of Geriatric Depression
When we come to the causes of geriatric depression, they can include a long list of which we mention the following:
Physical reasons
- Physical changes in a person’s brain, changes in brain chemistry.
- Changes in neurotransmitters in the brain.
- Chronic medical conditions.
- Side effects of some medications.
- Genetic history of the disease in the family.
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Psychological reasons
Life traumas are considered as the most effective reason for depression in elderly, as a person’s exposure to more than one trauma in a short time may lead to chronic depression, such as the loss of a relative or a friend, and academic failure.
Lifestyle changes reasons
- Prolonged substance abuse
- Limited mobility
- Isolation
- Transitioning from work to retirement
- Financial hardships
- Widowhood or divorce
- Deaths of friends and loved ones
- Facing mortality
Treatment of Geriatric Depression
There are many methods used in treating depression in the elderly, and this depends on the severity and degree of depression, the cause leading to it, and various other factors. Among the most important treatment methods are the following:
Medications
- Antidepressants
- ِِِAntipsychotics
- Anxiolytics
- Medicines that help raise happiness hormones
Procedures
- Passing electrical currents through the brain to treat the imbalance in neurotransmitters.
- Trans cranial magnetic stimulation sessions, through which neurons in the brain are stimulated and activated to reduce depression.
- Talking sessions with a specialist to relieve internal stress for depressed patients
Lifestyle changes
- Quit alcohol and bad habits
- Regulate sleep as much as possible
- Doing exercise and walking
- Eat healthy food
- Drink plenty of water
- Participate in social activities for the elderly
What family should do?
One of the most important axes in the treatment of elderly depression is the role of those around the patient whether family or friends or other close persons. This role clearly appears in supporting him, caring for him, and assisting him in all ways in his treatment journey. The old person – whether man or woman – that goes through the stages of depression faces a lot of difficulties, it seems like a very heavy war that he must fight in, so it’s so important to have a support system to overcome that battle, which no one denies that it is not easy at all.
And now, dear readers, after we have learned about the symptoms and causes of geriatric depression, as well as how to treat it, if you still have any other questions or if you want to book an appointment with us, you are welcome to contact.
