Age depression: Recognize the silent epidemic among seniors!

Age depression: Recognize the silent epidemic among seniors!

Leipzig, Deutschland - In the older population, age depression often has a difficult stand - unfortunately it is often overlooked. According to an article by Radio Herford , this form of depression is rarely addressed directly. The German Depression Aid Foundation points out that depression is one of the most common mental illnesses in older people, with dementia disorders.

An alarming statistics from the Robert Koch Institute says that around 6 percent of the 70 to 79-year-olds fall ill annually from depression. But subclinical depression that often remain undetected are even more common. Particularly worrying: the risk of suicide increases with increasing age, especially in men. It is therefore important to improve the handling of signs of depression and to sharpen the sensitivity to this problem.

symptoms and challenges

The symptoms of age depression are often complex and not always easy to recognize. Many of these affected people show physical symptoms such as back pain, sleep disorders or digestive problems. In addition, concentration problems and memory gaps can occur, which can be confused with the beginning of dementia, which is referred to as pseudodema. The diagnosis of age depression takes place through conversations and specific tests such as the geriatric depression scale (GDS), which is already by Yesavage et al. (1983) was developed. Unfortunately, doctors often do not ask about mental symptoms, so that depression often remains undetected.

treatment options

Treatment of age depression is crucial and usually includes a combination of psychotherapy and drug therapy. Even if the selection of antidepressants in older patients is more complicated due to possible interactions, studies show that both psychotherapy and medication are effective. However, only six percent of over 60 years of age receive access to psychotherapy. Here the support from relatives is of enormous importance - they should help those affected to make a doctor's appointment and to push decisions in times of crisis.

In addition, online self-tests can be helpful to take the first steps in the right direction. However, these do not replace the important visit to the doctor. Special educational resources, such as an e-learning tool for relatives and nurses, can also help to identify and tackle age depression at an early stage, as the German depression aid emphasizes.

For older people, early detection and treatment of depression is essential to improve the quality of life and reduce suicide risk. At this point it is important to promote the discussion and to give a voice. Therefore, it is important to open the dialogue about age depression and to reduce barriers that could contribute to the stigmatization of this disease, including the knowledge of Busch et al. (2013) and others. Every step in this direction could be decisive and help to significantly increase the quality of life in old age.