What Happens When Elderly Depression Goes Unnoticed?

Elderly individuals become depressed much like younger individuals and for much of the same reasons: loss of a loved one, lifestyle change, loss of a physical body part such as an amputation and also stresses such as job loss, financial distress or loss of or change in home (moving to a nursing home or retirement community).

There are various reasons why elderly depression may go unnoticed by family members, friends and even medical personnel. Reasons that depression may go unnoticed stem from an erroneous perception that depression in elderly is expected or normal, to the fact that the elderly individual may hide feelings of despair, anxiety, or feelings of loss and extreme sadness.

There can be fatal consequences when elderly depression goes unnoticed by those who could have noticed the condition. Those who could pick up on signs of depression and don't because of ignorance, or indifference may miss physical signs such as the individual complaining of persistent and vague aches and pains, sighing a lot, wringing their hands or pacing around the room a lot. It is common for those who are elderly and depressed not to admit to feelings of sadness, despair, loneliness or extreme fatigue. These signs of depression can be missed when caregivers or medical personnel attribute them to other illnesses or conditions or simply chalk the signs up to "old age".

Because the signs and symptoms of elderly depression may differ slightly from the typical signs and symptoms associated with depression in those who are younger due to the elderly not admitting to being sad or because of the symptoms may be masked by physical illness or conditions; the elderly often times will go undiagnosed. Depression in the elderly is twice as likely as the general population to be fatal.

Elderly individuals may exhibit clues such as unexplained or vague aches and pains that increase in quantity or intensity, memory loss, unusual irritability and also a noticeable lack of personal hygiene (not washing hair or body, not brushing hair or teeth/teeth care, not changing clothing from day to day). These clues will change the physical appearance or how the person acts among family and friends (more irritated or hopeless in action or word, or withdrawn when they are normal outgoing).

The consequences of not noticing when an elderly individual is depressed is that the person will continue to feel lonely or isolated, their sense of purpose will continue to nosedive, their health problems will increase, as will their fears. Suicide is a common consequence of elderly depression. Studies show that in 2004 16% of suicides were elderly depressed individuals (age 65 or older).

As we age we often times see an increase in physical ailments, disease or conditions of poor health. Chronic disease and chronic pain are two major reasons for depression in older adults that may lead to depression.

It is quite common for elderly depression to go unnoticed in the medical community. Studies have shown that the elderly who have died of suicide, as much as 75% of them had seen their doctor within a month before they took their life by suicide. The signs or symptoms of depression went unnoticed by the doctor and staff.