Recognizing Depression in the Elderly

As seniors advance in age, they face major life changes. Many of these changes can be extremely difficult to cope with; the deaths of close friends and/or spouses, health problems, and overall changes in lifestyle all have the potential to cause significant amounts of stress and anxiety. If not handled properly, the stress of these events can often manifest into clinical depression. Not only can depression cause a decline in quality of life, but it can also wreak havoc on a person’s health. It is extremely important to recognize the signs of depression in older adults before it can get out of hand. If a person has the knowledge of the signs to be looking for, a watchful eye should have no problem spotting the symptoms and recognizing depression in an elderly patient.

Among the outwardly recognizable symptoms of depression, caregivers must be able to identify abnormal thoughts about death, excessive guilt, plans for suicide or attempts to commit suicide, and other extreme changes in mood. These traits are usually easily identifiable in extreme cases of depression and must be addressed in order to restore a patient’s quality of life. However, elderly patients experiencing depression often have more subtle symptoms of depression that may be confused with pathologies such as Alzheimer’s disease, Cancer, Dementia, heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, thyroid disorders, and other scenarios that may mask the true underlying problem. It is for this reason that depression among the elderly is frequently undiagnosed and untreated. Patients who are experiencing a change in appetite, aches or pains, weight changes, difficulties with concentration, fatigue, memory loss, sleep abnormalities, and even irresponsible behavior. These sorts of symptoms do not often point medical logic directly in the direction of clinical depression and, therefore, can be misleading to caregivers. The truth remains, however, that if someone experiences these symptoms daily for a period of more than two weeks, they are likely depressed.

It has been estimated that around 15% of Americans 65 and older have experienced depression at some point in their later years. Nearly 20% of residents in nursing homes are clinically depressed. The most important facet to remember when dealing with depression in the elderly is that their quality of life for what remaining time they have left is of utmost importance.


"Depression - Elderly: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia." National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health. Web. 11 Apr. 2010. .