Depression is a mental illness that affects many elderly persons, according to the National Institutes of Health. Due to changes in their lives, lack of interaction and medical reasons, many elderly patients develop depression. Besides feeling sad, patients may also experience aches and pains, or have a lack of energy or appetite. Proper medical evaluation is needed because the symptoms of depression can be symptoms of a different disorder, like dementia. Regular depression treatment options are available to elderly patients, though interaction with other people may also help alleviate symptoms.
Causes
According to the National Institutes of Health, causes of depression in the elderly are different from depression causes in other populations. Changes within the family, chronic pain and illness, difficulty getting around, memory loss, or death of a close friend or spouse can all cause depression in the elderly. Most of the time, depression is brought on by loneliness, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Symptoms
Symptoms of depression in the elderly vary per patient. According to the National Institutes of Health, those symptoms can include abnormal thoughts about death, excessive or inappropriate guilt, aches and pain, loss of appetite and changes in weight, depressed or irritable mood, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness or sadness, irresponsible behavior, loss of interest in activities, memory loss, suicide attempts, temper or agitation, and trouble sleeping. To qualify as clinical depression, patients must exhibit symptoms every day for at least two weeks.
Other Conditions
Symptoms of depression in the elderly can also be confused with other conditions, according to the National Institutes of Health. Other conditions that can be confused with depression include Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, cancer, dementia, heart disease, Parkinson's disease, stroke and thyroid conditions.
Diagnosis
Because symptoms may be due to other conditions besides depression, doctors will do multiple examinations on the patient. These include a physical examination, a psychological evaluation and blood tests. Types of blood tests used to diagnose depression in the elderly include a white blood cell count, a complete blood count of different cells, liver or kidney function tests and thyroid function tests, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Treatment
While medication and psychotherapy are common treatments for depression, the National Institutes of Health recommends group activities for elderly patients. If elderly patients choose to use medication to treat their depression, they should avoid selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI) because side effects have a negative impact on the heart.
