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For the elderly, depression is a serious problem that is often under diagnosed. This happens because it often co-occurs with other serious illnesses and elderly people may be less willing to talk about feelings of sadness and hopelessness. The exact causes of depression in the elderly are not known, but it may result from factors such as environment and family history. Fortunately, even in its most severe form, depression is highly treatable.

Elderly people with depression have a chemical imbalance in their brain. And that chemical imbalance is extremely common and highly treatable. Some individuals erroneously believe that depression is a normal part of being elderly, which is completely untrue. Depression is not normal for people of any age. Once an older person seeks treatment, other problems may arise.

As many as 40% of older people taking antidepressants quit or repeatedly miss doses because of side effects, memory problems, or difficulty keeping track of complicated drug regimens. For example, older adults are sometimes more sensitive to side effects of antidepressants. These drugs also may not mix well with medication they take for other illnesses.

When an older person no longer feels engaged and seems to stop enjoying life for longer than two weeks, it’s time to seek medical help. Because many older adults face these illnesses as well as various social and economic difficulties, health care providers may mistakenly conclude that depression is a normal consequence of these problems – an attitude often shared by patients themselves.

If you notice yourself or a loved one beginning to have problems functioning or carrying out regular routines, that is when the problem has moved beyond normal depression toward a diagnosis of clinical depression. In any given one-year period, almost 10 percent of the population suffers from depression. The economic cost of the disorder is high, but the cost in human suffering cannot be estimated.

Being depressed often interferes with normal functioning and can cause pain and suffering, not only to those who have it, but also to those around who truly care about them. While scientists are still researching trying to find the causes of depression, they do know that a number of factors can increase a person’s chances of developing it. These are known as depression risk factors. Risk factors are not the same as causes of depression. But one of the most critical questions remain about why more women have depression than men.

In fact, we still do not know if depression is truly less common among men or if men are just less likely than women to recognize, acknowledge, and seek help for it.While they do increase the chances of developing the illness, they do not guarantee that a person will develop it.There are a variety of antidepressant medications and psychotherapies for depression treatment. Some people with milder forms of depression may do well with psychotherapy alone. People with moderate to severe depression most often benefit from medication. Most people do best with a combination treatment plan.

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