Depression In Older Adults: A Case Study

Depression is a clinical condition associated with the normal emotions of bereavement and sadness. However, this condition does not pass on when the external causes of these emotions dissolve and is usually inconsistent to their cause. In essence, the classic severe conditions of depression have not been attributed to external precipitating cause. One of the most common conditions of depression is Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), which is a psychiatric condition that impairs moods, behavioral patterns, and thoughts for a protracted duration. This psychiatric illness tends to impair the patient’s social functioning and quality of life due to its impacts on cognitive functioning. Some of the most common symptoms of the condition include difficulty in concentration, weight change, minimal interest in pleasure, high rate of suicide, and physical impairment. The severity of this disease was evident in the year 2000 when the World Health Organization ranked it as the fourth cause of disability and premature death across the globe.

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

Depression is a very prevalent mental disorder that many people have in the world. Depression can be termed as consistently depressed mood or loss of interest in activities that result in an impairment in daily functioning. Depression can be characterized by hopelessness, and a pessimistic view of the world. People who suffer with depression should take act immediately in receiving help because they could possibly commit suicide and or poor health outcomes. Many older adults who receive help are more than likely to reduce the severity of depression. Also, older adults that receive help by using evidence based practice from their clinicians

Mental disorders are becoming more prevalent in today's society as people add stress and pressure to their daily lives. The elderly population is not eliminated as a candidate for a disorder just because they may be retired. In fact, mental disorders affect 1 in 5 elderly people. One would think that with disorders being rather prevalent in this age group that there would be an abundance of treatment programs, but this is not the case. Because the diagnosis of an individual's mental state is subjective in nature, many troubled people go untreated regularly (summer 1998). Depression in the elderly population is a common occurrence, yet the diagnosis and treatment seem to slip

The purpose of this research is to review factors that trigger elderly depression states, their physical and mental health conditions,

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

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “older adults are at an increased risk of depression, because depression is more common in people who have other illnesses, and 80% of older adults have a chronic condition” (CDC, 2017). The CDC also mentions that older adults are often misdiagnosed or undertreated, because the symptoms may be thought to be the cause of something else, or the patient doesn’t understand that treatment would be beneficial and do not seek help.

There Are A Few Reasons Why The People Who Are Elderly And Cross The Age Of 60 Turn Out To Be A Patient Of Major Depression:

Mental illnesses are increasing at an alarming rate worldwide and is one of the significant health problems of today’s world.This essay will present the manifestation of ‘depression in an elderly client in a community mental health setting. Depression among the elderly differs from depression in the younger adults which are accompanied by physical symptoms and co-morbidities rather than emotional symptoms. The presentation of these somatic conditions make the diagnosis of depression difficult in older people and therefore requires the identification of differences in symptoms of depression and coexisting somatic conditions. Depression is associated with significant reduction in cognitive abilities of the elderly. Furthermore decreased in

Depression is considered to be one of the most common emotional problems among elderly individuals. The prevalence of depressive symptoms in the general population is at its lowest incidence during the middle-age years, increases throughout late adulthood, and reaches its highest level in adults age 80 or above (Glass, Kasl & Berkman, 1997). Ot-her experts reported that among elderly who live in the community, the prevalence of the depressive symptoms has ranged from 11 % to 44 % with an average of about 20%. About 43 %of the institutionalized elderly, however, were diagnosed as having depression (Reeker, 1997). Studies conducted in America revealed that depression

Gerontology is becoming a much-needed specialization with society living longer and the population increasing in numbers. These individuals and their needs often go untreated secondary to the vast number of individuals needing care and their inability to verbalize. This population is incredibly vulnerable and as you pointed out depression is an ever-present illness that needs to be addressed. In addition, to the many topics you addressed regarding the reason for depression in the elderly there are other simple reasons that may go undiagnosed or untreated.

According to Katz and Alexopoules, many of the depressive disorders remain undiagnosed and untreated as they are misinterpreted to be a normal part of ageing33. Schuckit et al.,in a hospital based study, observed that 24% of the patients who are more than 65 years, in the medical and surgical wards, had psychiatric comorbidities among which, depression and alcohol related disorders were predominant34.

Did you know that nearly 20% of people age 55 years or older experience some type of mental health concern? (Centers for Disease and Prevention & National Association of Chronic Disease Directors, 2008) Mental illnesses are very common among older adults and many times will go undiagnosed or will be misdiagnosed. This can happen because the signs of mental illnesses can be easily mistaken for the normal process of aging. Throughout this paper I will focus on the three most common types of mental illnesses among older adults, the facts of mental illnesses, how to recognize the symptoms, and properly treat/care for and older adult with a mental illness.

One of the scariest emotional experiences a person can ever suffer during their lifetime is to experience a form of depression. Over one in five Americans can expect to get some form of depression in their lifetime. Over one in twenty Americans have a depressive disorder every year. Depression is one of the most common and most serious mental health problems facing people today. However, depression is often not taken seriously because of the large use of antidepressant drugs and the large number of sufferers. Depression is a serious illness and should be taken as so. Contrary to the popular misconceptions about depression today, it is a serious and deadly disorder.1

According to Depression scholarly (n.d), depression, also known as major depression, is a “mind-set disorder that causes a constant feeling of misery and misfortune of investment” (Depression scholarly, n.d). Depression also refers to “an array of abnormal variations in the mood of a person”. This condition not only affects an individual’s thoughts and behaviors (Journal, n.d), but is also capable of changing the thoughts and feelings of the individual as well as physically and emotionally affecting his or her health. This type of disorder is, frankly, a common disorder that can happen to anyone at any age, as it is one of the most “disabling disorders in the world, affecting roughly one in five women and one in tem men at some point in their lifetime” (Depression, n.d). Although depression can affect anyone, it is more likely to occur in individuals who have been suffering from anxiety disorders (Journal, n.d).