The Elderly and Depression

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at how depression continues to be one of most common medical conditions for the elderly. It also examines the increase in the suicidal tendencies of the depressed, taking into account the wrong assumption that aging necessitates depression and the difficulty of health care providers in recognizing depression. It examines how symptoms may take months to worsen and show up and how aging individuals should be treated similarly to younger patients when seen by the doctor. It is up to family and health care providers to be vigilant and notice changes, and with care, individuals can be helped.

From the Paper:

"How can such high numbers of incidence be decreased? Is there a way for healthcare providers and social workers to recognize which individuals will take such drastic measures and intervene before it is too late? Unfortunately, this appears easier said than done, since detection problems contribute to these statistics (Evans 2000, p.1). Studies show that the elderly do not easily talk to others about their depression and concerns due to the stigma of getting psychiatric care. They will visit their primary-care physicians, but do not mention that they are suffering any depressive symptoms such as feeling helpless, no longer enjoying friends and family, memory loss, sleeping difficulty, anxiety and extreme lack of energy. In fact, adds Evans (ibid, pg. 3) "it has been estimated that approximately 80 percent of the elderly who commit suicide have visited a doctor within a month prior to their death. All too often, the signals that an older person is depressed are confused with signs of aging.""

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• Term Paper # 107704 : "Suicide among the Elderly"

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