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.

Treating Elderly Depression with Electroconvulsive Therapy

One of the most feared terms in connection with the treatment of elderly depression is electroconvulsive therapy (often abbreviated as ECT). Much of the bad reputation this treatment form has received rests of course on movie depictions and on the actual misuse of the procedure at the hands of untrained individuals.

To be honest, ECT is a drastic treatment and it is used sparingly and only for cases that are considered extreme in their symptoms for elderly depression. Treating elderly depression with electroconvulsive therapy is indeed a rare occurrence because of the side effects the treatment has, and because the advanced age of the geriatric patient does not make them a good candidate for this form of attention.

Yet at the same time, in patients that evidence no only severe depression but possibly may have been classified as suicidal and may present with more than just one diagnosed mental illness and also when other attempts at treatment have proven to be futile, ECT is sometimes the only methodology open to the psychiatrist who is seeking to improve the affected senior's life and mental health. The application of the process is usually done during general anesthesia.

The patient will have electrodes hooked up to certain locations on the scalp where the hair will have been removed. A meticulously calibrated electrical current is then sent through the electrodes, mimicking a brain seizure. The most commonly noted side effect associated with this treatment is a temporary memory loss and a sense of confusion surrounding not only the patient's current whereabouts but also the treatment itself.

ECT treatments are not one time only events but instead are administered up to three times per week for two weeks at a time; sometimes the quantity of treatments may have to be increased so as to span four weeks. Truthfully, the results of ECT are astounding and many have actually chosen to undergo the treatment because it offers radical, almost instantaneous betterment of symptoms.

At the same time, psychiatrists are warning those suffering from elderly depression to remember that ECT is not a silver bullet in the fight against the illness, but instead it is a treatment option which, when combined with psychotherapy and psychotropic drugs yields a good opportunity for improvement.

Like any other treatment, it is wise to seek a second opinion if you are not entirely certain that you are a good candidate for this treatment option or if you do not feel comfortable signing on the dotted line giving your consent to the treatment. Even if all those involved agree that this is the most promising avenue open for your feeling better for a prolonged period of time, remember that you still have the legal right to refuse this kind of treatment if you have decided in your heart to do so. It might be an unwise move on your part, but an important aspect of seeking mental health help rests on the fact that you are the ultimate decision maker and thus empowered to give or withhold your consent at will.