Aging brings extensive changes in all life domains, including personal capabilities, interpersonal relationships, social circumstances and finances. Symptoms of depression in seniors often differ from those of younger people. In seniors, symptoms are often the result of several factors related to the stress of phase-of-life problems and adjustments associated with aging. Emotional reactions to these changes do not necessarily indicate clinical depression, but adjusting to these ongoing changes may trigger or be related to depression.
Anxiety
Because depression in seniors is often rooted in stress and change, the most visible symptoms may present as more akin to anxiety. Worry about apparently "small" changes could indicate an underlying sense of sadness related to experiencing more change or loss. Fear, most commonly associated with anxiety, may be related to feelings of hopelessness developing from depression. This depression-related sense of hopelessness or feelings of helplessness may also be expressed as irritability or restlessness.
Preoccupations and Ruminations
Depression carries with it a sense of powerlessness as the senior experiences its debilitating effects. This sense of a lack of power can be magnified by changing personal capabilities and increased reliance on others. Seniors may compensate for this depression-related experience by developing preoccupations and repeated ruminations about domains of life that represent a sense of personal power and capability. Preoccupations with personal finances and health are common themes. Other themes include the well-being of significant-others, caregivers or society in general.
Physical Complaints
Although the increase in medical problems that comes with aging can be the source of depression, some complaints of physical problems are an expression of how depression is aggravating or magnifying health problems. Also, unexplained complaints of physical problems that seem to have no medical basis may be a manifestation of depression. Common complaints include fatigue, muscle aches/tension and headaches. It is also important to consider the possibility that medications have a side-effect of creating depression. This possibility should be assessed by a physician.
Typical Symptoms
Although symptoms of depression in seniors often manifest in anxiety, preoccupation and physical complaints, it is not uncommon for seniors to show the usual symptoms of depression as well or in addition to atypical symptoms. These symptoms include feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. Behavioral manifestation includes reduced self-care and slower-than-usual movement. Depressed people also experience a loss of interest in previously pleasurable activities and difficulties with memory. Because some of these symptoms are a natural part of the aging process (e.g. slowing of physical moment) it is important to measure these using a previously existing baseline of behavior. Sudden or rapid progression in these symptoms may indicate the onset of depression.
References
- Robert Howard; Depression in Elderly People; 1996
- Tracy Denby and Mary Godfrey; Depression And Older People: Towards Securing Well-being in Later Life; 2004.
- Judith M. Siegel and David H. Kuykendall; Loss, Widowhood, and Psychological Distress Among the Elderly; 1999.
