Dr. Nilesh Shah a leading psychiatrist from Mumbai (Sion Hospital) with more than 3 decades of experience speaks about depression in the elderly. You can access multiple videos by Dr. Nilesh Shah on topics related to the mind care of seniors.
How Common is depression in the elderly?
Typically it is around 1 % however, in the elderly with some medically compromised patients, such as cancer, heart problems, and stroke the occurrence is 10 to 15 %. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 280 million people worldwide suffer from depression.
Reasons for depression in the elderly
- · Environmental factors
- · Stressful life events such as “empty nest syndrome”(children have left home to pursue their career and the parents are at home alone)
- · Decrease in serotonin levels in the brain
How to identify when the elderly are getting into depression?
The elderly people suffering from depression may show the following signs of depression depending upon the type of depression experienced:
- · Retarded Depression - Decreased interest in day-to-day life activities
- · Agitated/anxious Depression – when the person gets agitated and anxious about everything, sleep problems
- · Somatic depression – typical complaints of headache, body aches and other medically unexplained symptoms
- · Depression associated with medical disorders – such as cancer, post-stroke or heart attack
Typically sleep disturbances, sad mood and loss of interest in daily activities are typical symptoms of depression in the elderly
Once you identify the signs of depression in the elderly, you should consult with an expert medical professional to get the appropriate guidance.
Healthy Wrinkles is devoted to better healthcare for senior citizens. We hope that Healthy Wrinkles YouTube channel, blogs and healthcare service databases will help senior citizens and also their family members to ensure better health. Knowledge, discussions and demonstrations over here are for information only and shall NOT be construed as medical advice. You should contact your healthcare professional with respect to any specific problem or issue.
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