Depression in Older Adults

Depression in Older Adults
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Depression in Older Adults
By definition, depression refers to a mood disorder in an individual that causes a constant feeling of sorrow and loss of interest. Depression basically affects the feeling, behavior and thinking of a person. Moreover, this disorder can lead to other physical and emotional problems. People with depression tend to experience hurdles in their day to day activities and sometimes some of them cease to understand the meaning of living. However, depression is not only about feelings. Depression changes the life of an individual by making him function differently and may also not enjoy life like before. Moreover, depression may also make someone to feel lifeless, or even angry and restless in the cases of men. Therefore, it may interfere with the ability of someone to work, sleeping and even on the appetite.
However, it might be difficult and challenging addressing the issue of depression in life but on the other hand long-term treatment, psychological counseling and medication may offer a solution to a depressed patient. It is more important as a patient to discover the symptoms, causes and treatment of depression in order to deal with it in the best way. Depression can be due to the changes that one may experience during retirement, loss of loved ones or even isolation. In many cases, depression has always been associated with the elderly in the society due to the increase of cases among the aged. Besides, there are a number of ways in which one can avoid depression in life. This argument is grounded on the basis that depression only affecting the aged.
Alternative Theories on Depression
Despite there being thoughts that depression only affects the aged in the society, there has been divergent view on the issue. Depression has been regarded as a disorder for all people and does not chose on age. This has been evident especially when children have been reported to have experienced depression at an earlier age. This has been due to the events that they may have gone through in their life hence the development of depression. Moreover, depression does not only occur because of the age but there are also other factors that contribute to its occurrence that also affect the younger age. In this regard, it is evident; depression affects everyone in a society regardless of his or her age (Aguirre, 2008).
Causes of Depression
One of the causes of depression is the life events that one may be subjected to. Hard conditions, which a child is subjected to when young, may affect him or her when old in the form of depression. Physical and sexual abuse on a child will also increase on depression on the child in the later years of his or her life. Some of the other life events that may contribute to the situation are medical problems, for example, depression may affect a patient who may be suffering from diseases like HIV or even cancer diseases (Ainsworth, 2000). This is because such diseases are usually long term and very expensive to cater for treatment and therefore the patient may see no meaning of life and may think that he might be dying soon hence experiencing depression. In some cases, some of the people may remain depressed in the rest of their lives due to financial problems that they may encounter in the process of gaining life satisfaction. Other life events also include rejection from others, separation and even relationship troubles especially for those that are married. In this regard, most people suffering from depression will be because of their past life experiences. However, it is possible to have control over these events in order to avoid depression.
Depression can also be caused due to the kind of medication that a person may be prescribed to by a medical practitioner. In this case an individual may be suffering from diseases that may involve high medications. This may include medication for high blood pressure in the body, therapies of diseases like cancer and even medication pills for sleep. This kind of medication may weaken the patient due to the loss of energy in the body and a time brings a somber mood that might develop depression in the body of an individual. Depression that comes as a result of medication of other diseases might not be easy to control since some of the diseases are hereditary and therefore it might be difficult for one to have control over them. In addition, infectious diseases may play part in the cause of depression in the human body (Wasserman, 2011). However, one can be able to control on the medication by trying to develop a good mood and ensuring that they are exercising constantly in order to engage their minds and as a result remain jovial all through. The issue of medication can also be guided by the doctor on the patient by providing expertise advice in order to avoid other complications in the patient.
Fears of death and bereavements of loved one might lead to depression. As one ages, it is considered that he is nearing his death. Therefore, when people grow old they tend to be thinking more about their families that they will live behind. In many cases, some of the individual may fear death and as a result the fear may subject them to depression. In other instances the old or aged people may get depressed due to loss of their loved ones. The kind of sorrow that is associated with death might put someone in long pains that others may not even recover from, and, hence, may develop depression in the process (Praag & Kloet, 2004). Besides, this has been a rampant situation in the society as death has been on the rising in the recent years due to diseases, accidents or even natural deaths. In this regard many get affected psychologically.
Drug and substance abuse has also been categorized among the major causes of depression in human. It is approximated that close to 30% of people that use certain drugs have depression. This is true since most of the people who are addicts of drugs like alcohol and cigarettes tend to use the drugs due to depression. As a result some of those who may consider the use of different substances may develop depression, especially when they may lack the same drug. This might be due to the urge and inner feeling for them to use the drug in order to make them able to function well in their activities. In this case, some of them may even tend to think more and remain sad; thus leading to depression (Praag & Kloet, 2004). The use of drugs especially among men has been on the rising, and, therefore, a majority of cases that are being addressed concern men.
Genetics is also one of the causes of depression. Genetics refers to the genes that come from relatives or even parents to their children. In this case depression is inherited from someone else belonging to the same family (Schwartz, 2006). This disorder may be generated from one generation to another, and, therefore, the situation may keep repeating itself, and, therefore, it might be inevitable for someone to prevent such cases that arise as a result of genetics. The above are just a few of the causes that are associated with depression in the human body; therefore one should be ardent of the causes in order to prevent depression.
Symptoms of Depression
A person with depression will feel helpless and may even lose hope in life. One may display sadness and guild in his or her face. In some instances, particularly in the case of men, anger may prevail in their life and may view others like his enemies at all times. It becomes more difficult to live with someone suffering from depression due to the weird feeling that is possessed by the individual. On matters concerning relationships or marriages, others may totally lose interest with their partners and as a result may break relationships (Roy, 2005). Feelings are the simplest way in which you can use to determine whether a person is experiencing depression in his or her life. This may go to an extent where one may also lose the sexual interest with his or her partner. T...