In 2006, the recently deceased veteran television reporter and commentator, Mike Wallace, then 88 years of age, spoke publicly on “60 Minutes” about his attempt to commit suicide. He highlighted a mental illness that many of our senior population have difficulty admitting to: clinical depression. Although twice as many women suffer from this depression, men with the affliction end their lives more often. An estimated 30,000 to 35,000 suicides take place each year in the United States. This is a far greater number than U.S. homicides. One-fourth of these suicides are committed by seniors. When Wallace spoke publicly about his depression, his message was one of hope, indicating that it was treatable. He said the decades since he had begun antidepressants (in his mid-60s) had been the best of his life.
About 6 million elderly people suffer from clinical depression. We are not referring to the brief feeling of “having the blues,” which almost all adults have gone through at one moment or another in their life. Clinical depression is the type of depression that can last weeks, months, or even years untreated. Health problems, fears of death, loneliness and isolation, a reduced sense of purpose, anxiety over financial problems, and a recent bereavement – any of these issues can put you at risk for this common mental illness as you grow older. Genetic inheritance, hormone changes, and brain chemistry also may come into play here. According to a study in a 2007 Science Daily article, brain imaging of healthy and clinically depressed people revealed that clinically depressed individuals appear to have more difficulty regulating their emotion brain circuits and, thus, seem unable to recover from negative stimuli.
Recognizing clinical depression in the elderly starts with knowing the signs and symptoms. Depression’s red flags include the following:
You may have at least one of the following symptoms:
1. Overwhelming sadness where there is “no light at the end of the tunnel”
2. Losing interest in hobbies or other pleasurable pastimes/social withdrawal and isolation
You may have at least four of these symptoms:
3. Repetitively occurring physical problems, like stomachaches or headaches
4. Fatigue/low motivation
5. Weight loss or loss of appetite/sometimes weight gain
6. Sleep disturbances (too much or too little sleep)
7. Loss of self-worth and neglecting personal care
8. Increased use of alcohol or other drugs
9. Fixation on death/suicidal thoughts or attempts
10. Sexual problems
11. Trouble remembering, thinking, or making decisions
Don’t confuse grief, which has its moments of happiness, with depression, in which the feelings of emptiness and despair are constant. Don’t confuse depression with dementia, which shares many similar symptoms, including memory problems, sluggish speech and movements, and low motivation.
If needed, see a professional in the field of psychiatry to understand the differences that can help you to distinguish between these two issues. In addition, medical problems can cause depression either directly or as a psychological reaction to the illness, especially if it is chronic, painful, disabling, or life-threatening. Some examples of these are heart disease, cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s.
You are also more at risk of developing depression if you are taking multiple medications. Older adults are more sensitive to mood-altering side effects. Please check with your pharmacist about this possible danger.
“Clinical depression may be the patient’s only mental illness, or sometimes a person’s mental illnesses may overlap each other,” Cindy, NAMI’s office administrator, said. “It is always very important, therefore, that all meds have to be kept being taken. It is common [for patients] not to keep taking them [their psychiatric medicines]. They think they are well.”
Medicines are the most important way the psychiatrist manages the illness/es.
You are never too old to adapt to change. Overcoming depression often involves finding new things to enjoy, learning to adapt to change, and staying physically, mentally, and socially active. Bringing your life into balance so that you can handle stress and pressures of daily life is important. Other self-help tips are:
1. Get enough sleep and exercise
2. Maintain a healthy diet
3. Participate in activities that you enjoy
4. Volunteer your time
5. Take care of a pet
6. Learn a new skill
7. Create opportunities to laugh
In many cases, these healthy lifestyle changes can be as effective as antidepressant drugs in relieving depression, without these psychiatric drugs’ dangerous side effects. Also, counseling and therapy programs work well on depression because they address the underlying causes of the depression, rather than just the symptoms. Support groups for depression, illness, or bereavement connect you with others who are going through the same challenges.
The very nature of depression interferes with a person’s ability to seek help. For depressed seniors raised in a time when mental illness was highly stigmatized and misunderstood, it can be even more difficult – especially if they don’t believe depression is a real disease, are too proud or ashamed to ask for assistance, or fear becoming a burden to their family.
If an older person you care about is depressed, you can make a difference by offering emotional support. Listen to your loved one with patience and compassion. Don’t criticize feelings expressed, but point out realities and offer hope. You can also help by seeing that your friend or family member finds a good doctor, gets an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment, and takes meds and therapy as prescribed. Offer your senior moral, social, and physical support. Seek immediate help and call 911 or 1-800-892-8900 (Mental Health 24-Hour Crisis Line) if you suspect your friend or relative is in danger of self-harm.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness is here to help McHenry and Kane County seniors who are in need of support groups to help their recovery. Support group sessions are held on the third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at the McHenry County Mental Health Board, 620 Dakota St., Crystal Lake. For information on more depression-help programs, please call Susan Ling, Program Director, at 815-308-0851 or email her at www.namimchenrycounty.org.
