What is Depression

What is Depression - Depression in the Elderly

Depression has often said to be a natural part of the aging process—but that’s not true. There’s nothing normal about depression, though according to the National Institute of Health (NIH) roughly 35 million Americans over the age of 65 are suffering from depression, 2 million are experiencing major depression.

The elderly have unique circumstances that can contribute to having bouts of depression. The loss of a loved one is devastating at any age but when a person loses their companion of decades the loss can be debilitating and bring on serious depression in the one left behind.

Seniors often suffer from health issues that may include chronic pain and loss of independence. Often the elderly are isolated and their distress and depression may not be recognized. Physicians who treat geriatric patients often overlook signs of depression and concentrate on physical ailments instead. Seniors are less likely to talk about their feelings of hopelessness or loneliness, preferring to keep their personal issues to themselves. Their generation was not encouraged to talk about their feelings and most feel uncomfortable doing so.

Most assume that it’s a natural process of aging that causes a person to slow down and lose interest in activities that once gave them joy, but that’s not true. Episodes of depression can be triggered by anxiety about declining financial situations, prescription medications that trigger depression, self-image issues brought on by surgery or disease. Feelings that they have lost their purpose in life because their children are grown, they no longer hold down a job and feel that they have nothing left to contribute can increase the risk of depression in seniors.

Untreated depression in the elderly can lead to a host of serious problems, including health issues, prescription drug abuse, increased risk of alcoholism, a higher mortality rate and the increased risk of suicide.

While it’s true that to some extent a person may slow down as they age, the majority of seniors are enjoying their lives and are staying active into their seventy and eighties. Depression is not a natural progression of aging and If you are a caregiver or simply have an elderly neighbor, be alert for the warning signs of depression.

You can help a lonely senior feel needed in your neighborhood by visiting, by including them in activities and by keeping an eye on their needs. Depression in seniors is a treatable illness and you can help by being aware of the symptoms and seeking help for seniors in your life who may be having difficulties. Whether you’re 18 or you’re 80, no one has to live with depression in their life.
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Signs of Depression

Signs of Depression - Depression in Teens

The teenage years are emotional mine fields. Sometimes you may feel that your teenager is always depressed because that seems to be the mood they project a great deal of the time.

They don’t want to be with the family, prefer to be closed up in their rooms, perhaps listening to dark music and preferring to wear clothes as dark as their mood. An adolescent suffering from depression can be hostile to you, exceedingly grumpy or easily lose their temper at the drop of a hat.

You may be wondering what the difference is between this behavior, which seems like their normal attitude lately, and a full blown depression. The truth of the matter is that it’s sometimes difficult to tell just where their teenage angst ends and depression begins.

A teenager suffering from depression may show signs of hopelessness, cry often, be tearful, or may begin to write dark poetry and become interested in dark themed music and movies. They may begin to feel that life is not worth living, to the point that they neglect their personal hygiene because it’s simply not worth their effort. A depressed adolescent can feel as though this dark cloud over them will never leave and therefore their future is bleak. Boredom and the loss of any enjoyment from previously engaging activities is another sign of depression

Low self-esteem is common in a teen suffering from depression. Their sense of self-worth, which is always difficult to maintain during the teenage years anyway, takes a huge hit when depression creeps into the life of a teenager. They feel worthless and that they’re simply not good enough. Feelings of guilt can overwhelm them when things go wrong, as though every bad thing that happens is their fault.

Teenagers are already susceptible to feelings of inadequacies but when a perceived rejection occurs to a depressed teen whose sensitivities are already heightened, it can result in a devastating emotional meltdown and downward spiral.

Bouts of irritability, lashing out at those around them and isolating themselves from friends or family can also be signs of depression. Sometimes a depressed teenager will ‘reject’ his or her family because they feel they need to reject their family members before their family rejects them.

If your teenager was doing well in school and is now missing school more often than not, grades are slipping and he or she becomes hostile when approached about the situation, it could also be a sign of depression. There are so many traits in depression that can mimic normal teenage phases that it can be difficult for parents and leaders to ascertain with any degree of certainty whether or not a teenager is suffering from a major depressive episode.

Because depression can run in families, a teenager who is suffering from depression probably has one or two parents at home who are also struggling with this mental health issue. If you feel your teenager, or a teenager you care about, is in danger, please contact their parents, their school counselor or religious leader so that they can receive the help they need.
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New Depression

New Depression - This the Season to be Unhappy

Welcome to the holidays, a sure-fire recipe for angst, familial discord and credit card debt. Add those ingredients together, fold in days of dark skies with no hope of sunlight, sprinkle with a smattering of work stress, simmer until ready to boil and you have a tried and true recipe for depression.

Depression runs rampant during this time of year and the reasons, though different for each person, bring a person to the same dark and lonely place. A person suffering from depression say it’s like they’re in a deep and dark pit with no hope and their despair is complete.

Symptoms of depression include:

• Feeling tired or listless
• Sleeping too much or too little
• Difficulty concentrating
• Feeling hopeless
• Irritability
• Self-hatred
• Physical aches and pain
• Weight loss or weight gain
• Loss of interest in daily activities

Clinical depression is a condition that lasts longer than two weeks and can be treated.

Situational Depression is different from Clinical Depression, in that its duration is short lived. We all have things that bring us down and cause us to feel bad about things. Whether it’s because we’re having trouble at work or dealing with interpersonal issues with our significant others—these ‘down’ times come and then they gradually improve. We can’t all be happy all of the time and it’s in our nature to have ups and downs. These low moods generally improve with time as we learn from our experiences and move on. Much like the holidays come and go.

Clinical depression does not come and go. It comes and it stays. Loss of appetite, lethargy, irritability and hopelessness and even thoughts of suicide in the more severe episodes are cause for serious alarm.

However, suicide rates are generally down during the holidays for several reasons: there is a safety net of extended family and friends around, there is more support, and Christmas celebrations bring positive memories to the surface for most people and are cause for celebration.

Stress is a fact of life, and perhaps more so during the holiday season. But despite the holiday’s reputation for being a depressive’s worst nightmare, it also has the potential to bring you out your depression. Read more...