Recognizing Depression

Depression can be a factor in the lives of many senior citizens and the result of medications, isolation, illness and a host of other factors that can certainly include non-medical issues such as geographic separation from children, friends and relatives passing on or weather conditions that make socialization difficult. Recognizing the signs and symptoms is crucial in order to catch it early and deal with what could become a very bad situation. Remember that anyone can put on a good act for an hour or two!

In 2010 Good Morning America aired an interview about depression in the elderly worth knowing about. Click here to follow a link to the story. Webmd is a good resource and this article gives a bit more information that is useful to assess a wide variety of possibilities. Last but not least, here’s an article by Dr. Rafi Kevorkian, a Fellow in the Division of Geriatric Medicine at the St. Louis University School of Medicine. Reading through it you’ll find a basic question/answer assessment and further along, a chart that looks at the side effects of various drugs that your senior may be taking to combat other challenges.

If you suspect that your parent or elderly loved one may be heading down a road to depression, schedule a visit with the family doctor at once so that the underlying causes can be identified and worked with.