Although depression affects more than 19 million Americans every year, regardless of age, race, or gender, it is not a normal part of the aging process. There is, however, a strong likelihood of it occurring when other physical health conditions are present. For example, nearly a quarter of the 600,000 people who experience a stroke will also experience clinical depression. Symptoms of depression may be overlooked and left untreated when they coincide with other medical illnesses or life events that commonly occur as people age.
Statistics from the National Institute of Mental Health indicate a prevalence of clinical depression in more than two million of the 34 million Americans age 65 and older, but many don’t recognize it because of other related life events. Symptoms of clinical depression can be triggered by other chronic illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, cancer and arthritis.
Widowhood can also be a factor. One-third of widows/widowers meet criteria for depression in the first month after the death of their spouse, and half of these individuals remain clinically depressed after one year. Older patients with symptoms of depression also have roughly 50 percent higher healthcare costs than non-depressed seniors.
Current Treatment
More than 55 percent of older persons treated for mental health services received care from primary care physicians, but less than 3 percent aged 65 and older received treatment from mental health professionals. Primary care physicians accurately recognize less than one half of patients with depression, resulting in potentially decreased function and increased length of hospitalization. Fortunately, clinical depression is a very treatable illness. More than 80 percent of all people with depression can be successfully treated with medication, psychotherapy or a combination of both.
Lack of Awareness
According to a Mental Health America survey on attitudes and beliefs about clinical depression, about 68 percent of adults aged 65 and over know little or almost nothing about depression and only 38 percent of adults aged 65 and over believe that depression is a ͞health͟ problem. If suffering from depression, older adults are more likely than any other group to handle it themselves.͟ Only 42 percent would seek help from a health professional. With all the information now available, about 58 percent of people aged 65 and older still believe that it is normal͟ for people to get depressed as they grow older.
Seeking Help
According to the American Psychological Association (APA) Office on Aging, about two-thirds of older adults with a mental disorder do not receive needed services. The need and demand for these services are expected to increase because of the growing older population and the increased acceptance and utilization of mental health services by aging baby boomers.
Barriers to mental health services that older adults face include financial costs of service, poor diagnosis and referral to mental health professionals of older adults seen in primary care settings, shortage of mental health professionals trained to work with older adults, and lack of available specialized mental health services and programs. Additionally, older adults often have complex, interacting mental and physical health problems that make the recognition and treatment of mental health disorders especially difficult. Consulting with a psychologists for assessment and treatment of the problems of older adults, their families, and caregivers can be the start of a solution to what is being misdiagnosed as depression.
Sources: National Institute of Mental Health, www.nimh.nih.gov; Mental Health America, www.mentalhealthamerica.net;American Psychological Association, www.apa.org