Depression And Aging: A Case Study

Depression is one of the most recurrently investigated psychological disorders within the area of medical R&D (Montorio & Izal, 1996). A number of exhaustive researches have been carried out to study its symptoms and impacts on different patients belonging to different personal and professional attributes and most of these researchers depicted that depression in the elderly people is very frequent and in spite of number of researches in this context, it is often undiagnosed or untreated. To add to this jeopardy, it has also been estimated that only 10% out of the total depressed elderly individuals receive proper diagnosis and treatment (Holroyd et al, 2000). And for that reason, an authentic

In Josh Barro’s article, he mainly discusses the theme of Social Security. He explains how if we raise the age for people to access Social Security, that will harm poorer Americans who have a lower life expectancy due to the type of work they do or because of lack of other proper benefits. In the video, Coming of Age in and Aging America, they discuss the main theme of aging in America and the difficulties and obstacles these individuals face on a daily basis, especially in terms of Social Security. The video covers a variety of situations that the elderly face and how America can work to make the lives easier especially in a world where our elderly population in growing. One example was in a hospital where they were able to integrate new techniques and systems to make it easier for people to work longer into their lives. The main themes of Sharon Kaufman’s journal article were health care and the reform of current plans, and discussion of life-prolonging procedures. She discusses the three main procedures used in the U.S. which are organ transplantation, cardiac procedures, and cancer treatments. Finally, Segal’s text covers the themes and policies related to aging and elderly population. She discusses the acts and programs that have been put into place such as the Older Americans Act of 1965, social security, pensions, and Medicare/Medicaid, along with a variety of others.

We all will one day face the reality of growing older. There are many aspects of this change that will affect us in a large way. According to the Merck Manual of Health and Aging, 1.5% of Americans are 85 or older. This research states that the number of people 100 years or older could rise from 1 out of 5,578 in the year 2000, to 1 out of 472 in the year 2050. It brings out that women have a longer life expectancy than men, among people aged 65 and older in the year 2000, there were 70 men for every 100 women. For people aged 85 and older the figure was 41 men for every 100 women. The site goes on to say that approximately 11% of Americans aged 65 and older are below the poverty line. (The Merck Manual of Health and Aging:

As the number of the older adults is increasing so are those living with depression; therefore, it is important that perceptions around older adult depression be studied. According to the study done by the US Department of Commerce, it is estimated that the older adult population will more than likely double by 2050 and of 80 million and many as 1 in 5 Americans would be considered as an older adult (US Department of Commerce, 1995). There are many losses that accompany the aging process. These include the loss of loved ones and their independence. They begin to feel as though they will depend on their families for the rest of their lives. These factors scare them and causes many of the individuals to suffer from depression. One of the most predominant health problems in the United States is mental health. In the last 20th century, mental illness treatment has been through diverse changes in the United States. These changes have made it necessary for the policy and law makers to enact a law to protect the identity and integrity for people with mental health illness. Most individuals diagnosed with mental health illness are most often being ostracized and stigmatized. Because of social stigma attached to the individual with mental illness, their privacy is being violated and it has created so many issues in mental health.

The Geriatric Depression Scale is a 30 question self-report assessment used to identify depression in the elderly (Mental Disorders, 2013). The questions are answered with “yes” or “no”, and ask things such as “Do you feel happy most of the time”, or “Are you hopeful of the future”(NeuorscienceCME, 2013). The points scored on the test depend on the question; there is an answer grid. For example, the question “Do you feel that your life is empty” should be answered with no. It the elderly person answers with “no”, then no point is given. If they answer with “yes”, then a point is added (Mental Disorders, 2013). The lower you score on the test, the less likely you are to be depressed (NeuroscienceCME, 2013). The Scale is also available in a 15, 5, or even 1 question format (Edelman, 2010). The assessment is useful because it allows health professionals to know how the patient feels, their mind set, which will allow that patient to receive treatment in the form of therapy or antidepressant medication (Edelman,

Of the total population of the United States, 39 million are 65 and older. Of those 39 million older adults, about 5% reside in nursing homes, with the median age of 83.2 years (Urdaneta & Thakur, 2010). It is estimated that by the year 2030, 20% of the nation’s population will be 65 and older (Glaister & Blair, 2008). With the number of older adults rising significantly, so will the number residing in nursing homes. A significant amount of older adults will experience depression. Depression is prevalent in older adults, and those residing in nursing homes seem to be at greater risk for developing it (Urdaneta & Thakur, 2010). It is also estimated that the number of older adults experiencing depression is three to five times that of older

Depression is one of the most common mental disorder in the United States. More so, it is well recognized to be one of the most threatening mental health condition among older adults. Consequently, it leads to decline of the overall physical, mental and social state of an elderly person. According to World Health Organization (WHO, 2010), major depression carries the heaviest burden of disability among mental and behavioral disorders. In 2015, an estimated 16.1 million adults aged 18 or older in the United States had at least one major depressive episode in the past year. This number reflects that an estimated one in 15 adults (6.7%) gets affected in any given year and one in six people (16.6%) will experience depression at some time in their

It is not surprising that with the growing rate of the older population, there are more being diagnosed with depression. This age group of individuals has experienced life’s hardships and the more loss that is incurred in a shorter time span the greater the chance that the stress of life and limited coping strategies for this amount of strain leads to more and more depression in elderly people. Maybe this study will encourage more communities to offer assistance and empower the elderly before they reach depression

With the older population rapidly increasing in the United States, depression has become a common mental health issue (McDonnall, 2009). Depression is known as a psychiatric disorder that may recur within 3 years in older people. This type of disorder has emotional effects such as loss of interest for activities, irritability, and/or withdrawal from socializing with family and friends. There are also psychosocial factors that correlate with depression in older adults. Examples may include bereavement, prior depression, sleep problems, etc. This paper will display risks factors related to depression, the impact of depression, a treatment option, an evaluative method/technique, and a way to improve depression. The following seven article reviews

Approximately 6.5 million of the 35 million elderly Americans are affected by depression (Duckworth, 2009). Rarely, however, the first onset of depression is experienced so late in life. Depression in the elderly is closely related to dependency or disability, which in turn causes a great distress for not only the family, but also for the individual. Approximately 15% of community-dwelling elderly show clinically significant depressive symptoms (Blazer, 2003). The rate for women is higher than it is in men,

The term elderly refers to those who are age sixty-five and older. There are three subsections of the elderly which include the young-old who are age sixty-five to seventy-four, the old-old who are age seventy-five to eighty-four, and the oldest-old who are age eighty-five and older. As the overall age of the United States' population is increasing, known as the graying of America, The current percentage of people sixty-five and older is about twelve percent and is expected to increase significantly over the next twenty years. This increase, cultural changes, and familial changes have led to an increased need of financial resources, legal aide, medical care, and nursing and assisted living facilities for the elderly. Because people are simply living longer than they have before, this puts increased tension on the society as a whole including government programs, legal and protective services, but especially the medical field. Instead of the family taking care of their elderly as in the past, now many of them end up in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

An aging population calls for a changing nation. The number of older adults continues to grow, soon to be the fastest growing age group. When one overrides the other, the goods and services change to those needed by that particular age group. Many advantages come with a large elderly population, yet several disadvantages come in tow as well. If that population begins to live exceeding the average lifespan of past records, then numerous accommodations will need to be made. These arrangements will ultimately have an effect on surrounding age groups.

Depression later in life frequently coexists with other medical illnesses and disabilities. In addition, advancing age is often accompanied by loss of key social support systems due to the death of a spouse or siblings, retirement, and/or relocation of residence. Because of their change in circumstances and the fact that they're expected to slow down, doctors and family may miss the diagnosis of depression in elderly people, delaying effective treatment. As a result, many seniors find themselves having to cope with symptoms that could otherwise be easily treated.

Depression has been identified as a significance health issue for the older adult. Given the

It is known that depression can lead to complications in chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and stroke, increase morbidity and mortality, and increases health care expenditures. However, while “many older adults may face widowhood or loss of function or independence…depression is not considered a normal part of aging” (Buigues et al. 2014). Despite depression being one of the two syndromes being explored in this article, the authors have not given a specific, clinical definition for depression. During their primary search, they used the term “depression” and included articles that measured depressive symptoms or depression. This lack of specificity may have lead to some bias or inappropriate inclusions in this review. The authors would have benefited by creating or using a more defined definition for depression, such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V (DSM-V) or stated clearly whether or not the relationship they were exploring was between frailty and depression or frailty and depressive symptoms. The DSM-V defines depression as requiring “five (or more of) the following symptoms have been present during the same 2-week period and represent a change from previous functioning; at least one of the symptoms is either (1) depressed mood (2) loss of interest or pleasure” and includes the following