Diagnosis and Treatment of Depression in the Elderly
Diagnosis and Treatment of Depression in the Elderly Mental disorders are becoming more prevalent in today's society as people add stress and pressure to their daily lives. The elderly population is not eliminated as a candidate for a disorder just because they may be retired. In fact, mental disorders affect 1 in 5 elderly people. One would think that with disorders being rather prevalent in this age group that there would be an abundance of treatment programs, but this is not the case. Because the diagnosis of an individual's mental state is subjective in nature, many troubled people go untreated regularly (summer 1998). Depression in the elderly population is a common occurrence, yet the diagnosis and treatment seem to slip through the cracks. Depression is an example of a metal condition that may slip through the cracks when it comes to detection. The health care industry contributes to the overlooking of depression in the elderly because of the overwhelming desire to keep costs down. The factors of depression are open for interpretation, which results in different doctors looking for different things. In addition to that, elderly people may not exhibit the traditional symptoms of depression either. Aged individ
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the treatment for depression used when results are needed immediately and is nearly 80% effective. "Low Blood Pressure and Depression in Older Men: A Population Based Study. People often develop negative opinions, called cognitive distortions based on difficulties adapting to change. The results indicated the nurses were not accurate in their assessment until those labeled as "probably not depressed" were moved into the "definitely depressed" category. " Cognitive therapy has been used successfully to treat depression in young and middle aged individuals. Some other factors include losses dealing with jobs, status, finances, physical ability, or relocation. "One half of all depressed patients seen by general physicians are not identified as depressed (August 1995). Elderly people tend to have more ideational symptoms, which are related to thoughts, ideas, and guilt. Due to the fact that many senior citizens take multiple prescriptions daily, the physician must also be familiar with how the various drugs interact with prescriptions the patient is currently taking (April 1997). These memories and feelings aid in the individual viewing himself as he once did, with a positive outlook. " It is important to treat depression as early as possible because once the patient passes the age of 70 it becomes difficult for any long-term results.
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