What Causes Depression in the Elderly?

Adults considered to be elderly (65 or older) can have many causes of depression including being isolated from family and friends due to family and friends moving away or dying. Other causes of loneliness may be that they are widowed and living in a community that are mostly younger individuals and the older person lacks the companionship or activities seniors are interested in. They may also be suffering from a reduced sense of purpose in their life after children have grown or they reach retirement age. Health problems can also be the cause of depression, as can certain medications that they take for health issues. Fears or recent grief can also trigger depression in the elderly.

As individuals age the situations like loss and isolation as well as disease occurs more often as well as we accumulate the effects of these occurrences. The elderly are often more likely to suffer from multiple diseases or conditions that are more likely to be chronic or long-term and may also result in chronic pain. Both chronic disease and chronic pain are causes for depression in the elderly.

As the elderly person advances in age he/she may also become feebler, isolated from other family members or live in conditions that are unsafe all reasons for fear. Fears may also stem from anxiety over death from loved ones or friends to their own impending death. Other fears are those involving financial issues, fear of losing a pet, fear of a natural disaster, fear of what will happen during life-changing events like retirement or relocation, or loss of a partner or spouse.

Lifestyle changes occur in all age groups and usually causes anxiety, fear, stress which are all reasons to become depressed if the lifestyle changes are not eased into, or are made less stressful through support groups.

Depression can also be genetic (running in families). An ancestor may have suffered from depression, a brother, sister or parent. Some researchers have concluded that it is possible to inherit the tendency towards depression. Manic depression also known as bipolar disorder can occur in generation after generation of family members. Manic depression does not have to be genetic in origin it can be triggered by extreme stress at home, in the community or associated with a lifestyle change. Major depression has been shown in studies to be associated with brain changes in structure and in function.

It is important to determine the causes of depression in order to adequately treat depression as well as to prevent future depression episodes from occurring. Some of the causes for depression in the elderly are specific to those of advanced years and other causes are common to any age group such as fears, loneliness, feeling a sense of low self-worth. It is vital that those treating the elderly for depression pay close attention to the cause of the depression and to be certain that they have disclosed fully all the causes of depression so that it can be treated properly and so that reoccurrence of the depression can be avoided.