The Truth About Depression
In Later Life
Written by Lynda Green Alter, LMFT
In Later Life
Written by Lynda Green Alter, LMFT
Do you think that being depressed is a normal part of growing older?
Depression is no more likely to occur in older people than in the young. Precipitating factors of late life depression include grief and loss, pain, chronic illness, caregiving, loss of independence, and previous history of depression. Older adults usually minimize their symptoms of depression, describing themselves as "a little blue," "feeling down", or "a bit sad." Symptoms that usually indicate a possible depressive disorder in the eldery are :
- Isolation and social withdrawal
- Loss of interest in life and activities once enjoyed
- Feelings of hopelessness or helplessness about the future
- Feelings of uselessness
- Difficulty concentrating
- Feeling restless or irritable
- Sense of emptiness
- Thoughts of death or suicide
Sometimes, older people do not display any of the above symptoms. Instead, they experience depression through a variety of physical complaints. This is especially true of people with cultural backgrounds that do not acknowledge unpleasant emotions. Physical complaints that might be symptoms of depression include:
- Disruption of the sleep-wake cycle
- Change in appetite
- Fatigue
- Crying spells
- Reduced verbal or motor expressiveness
- Neglecting activities of daily living
- Misuse of alcohol or medications
- Brief solutioned-focused psychotherapy
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
- Interpersonal therapy
- Medications that regulate serotonin, a natural brain chemical needed for healthy brain function
- Increase your serotonin level by eating more complex carbohydrates earlier in the day and protein rich foods later in the day and evening
- Eat tryptophan rich protein foods like turkey
- Increase your physical activity. Twenty minutes of aerobic exercise daily has been shown to help increase serotonin levels
- Spend more time outdoors. Exposure to sunlight stimulates serotonin levels
- Avoid sugar, refined carbohydrates; caffeine and alcoholic beverages that can cause a sharp drop in blood sugar, which can contribute to mood swings
- Reduce worrying and stress by using a daily relaxation technique such as deep breathing, meditation, prayer, TiChi or yoga
- Talking things out with an understanding therapist or in a support group before the changes and losses begin to snowball