The Cause Of Depression In The Elderly Population

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

What is depression? Depression is one of the most common mental disorders. It does not only affect your mind but your entire body as well. Depression can lead to things such as loss of interest in your everyday activities, weight loss or gain, insomnia, feelings of unworthiness and even thoughts of suicide. Luckily, depression can be cured through medication and therapy. Many people believe that the older they are the less likely they are to suffer from this mental disorder. They believe that they are wiser and know how to handle curveballs when life throws it at them. However, depression does not discriminate meaning that no matter what age or gender you are, you can be at risk of experiencing it.

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

Depression- Depression is a significant issue for individuals with high care needs, and their carer’s. Research has shown that the depression levels of young individuals residing in aged care is twice of those living at home, or in Youngcare housing. For individuals living at home 56 percent of their carer’s are defined as moderately depressed, and 40 percent are defined as severely or extremely depressed.

There are several negative stereotypes surrounding older people and the aging process. Stereotypes of aging include assumptions and generalizations about how people at or over a certain age should behave, and what they are likely to experience, without regard for individual differences or unique circumstances (Rylee, 2015). When topics about the elderly come up most people begin to think of stereotypes like the majority of elderly people live institution like nursing homes. Other stereotypes consist of older people cannot learn, elderly people are set in their ways and unable to change, sickness and disability come with old age. When I think about all of the negative stereotype surrounding the elderly population. I can't help but wonder how these individuals handle depression during the aging process.

So if you think about it that is 50 percent of the residents that suffer with some type of depression, whether it be from another diagnosis such as dementia or a cerebral vascular accident also known as a CVA. In this same article it states that” almost 50 percent of these residents are treated with an antidepressant medication”. If one would research these side effects most find that it can cause increased depression as well as other unwanted results such as falls and cardiac issues. When I worked with these residents there would be a physiologist that came to the facility once every week to check on the progress with these patients. I would listen on these conversations so I could understand my residents and give them the best care. As I began to listen, I learned that not all depression was the same and that some just wanted to go to bingo and because of being sick and immobile couldn’t go and caused there depression to worsen and in other cases their roommate (usually there are two residents in one room) would pass and the loss of a friend and the fear of death themselves would cause their increased

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

Depression is a serious mental health illness when left unattended, and it affects not just the mind but the whole body. It is characterized by hopelessness, loss of interest, sadness, lack of sleep or too much, loss of appetite and suicidal thoughts. When one has an episode, there is a possibility of having more episodes in the future. According to Statistic Canada (2012), depression is one of the common mental illnesses in Canada. Statistic Canada’s (2012) Canadian community Health survey (CCHS) on mental health report state that 6.7% of 15 years and up has depression, while 11.6% of 1 in every 8 has major depression. (“6.7% of the Canadian population aged 15 years and above reported symptoms that met the criteria for depression. On the other hand, 1 in 8 adults with 11.6% identified symptoms that met the criteria for major depression”). Craft and Perna (2004) gives a rough estimate pf depression in US adult to be 9.5% yearly and projection of 17% in the future.( stated that depression affects “roughly 9.5% of the US adult population each year, and17% more will suffer at some point in time”). As reported by Statistic Canada depression runs across young adults to adults, which implies that depression is not a respecter of age.

Depression is prevalent in later life with serious negative outcomes leading to further disability, higher health costs, and mortality (Hoeft, Hinton, Liu, & Unutzer, 2016). Chronic conditions such as cancer, heart failure, pulmonary and Parkinson’s diseases are significant risk factors for late life depression (Wu, Schimmele, & Chappelle, 2012). Delivering quality comprehensive care to older adults with chronic disease and depression is often a complex and challenging task, and thus, academic preparation for these situations is an important goal.

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.

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

Depression is one of the leading causes of premature death in the geriatric population, and one of the highest burdens of overall disability. Depression rates are around 13% in primary care settings.

According to the American Psychiatric Association “Studies show that seniors are at greater risk of some mental disorders and their complications than younger people, and many of these illnesses can be accurately diagnosed and treated.”(American Psychiatric Association, 2015, para. 1). Although many of the illnesses can be treated, many go undiagnosed due to the fact that many individuals do not understand mental illnesses and some seniors are reluctant to seek psychiatric care due to being ashamed or believing that their symptoms are a part of aging that everyone experiences. It is not just the seniors and their family or friends that fail to recognize symptoms of mental illness, even their doctors may mistake a symptom of mental illness for another illness or problem associated with older adults.

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).