Depression and anxiety represent serious mental disorders that require immediate and prolonged treatment for patients of different ages. The undermined psychological state of oneself might lead to severe outcomes affecting the individual’s thoughts, feelings, daily activities, and mood, as well as causing eating and sleeping disturbances. Depression and anxiety are the common symptoms among older adults; however, they might be challenging to identify. Compared to younger adults, the depressive and anxious mental states are characterized by a lower occurrence, and they are symptomatically different (Haigh, Bogucki, Sigmon, and Blazer, 2018). Such mental disorders among the older population might sometimes be more prevalent, harder to treat, and usually caused by psychological factors.
Depression and anxiety episodes have a more chronic course compared to the younger generation. Additionally, the lowered confidence in the treatment effectiveness for depression and anxiety in older adults might contribute to “delayed referral and treatment-seeking” (Haigh et al., 2018, p. 18). Older patients respond to medical treatment similar to younger adults; however, antidepressants are proved less efficient in late life. The most practical treatment for depressive symptoms in the geriatric population is electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) since it is linked to a faster remission rate. Nevertheless, antidepressants are considered beneficial for community-dwelling older adults who are more inclined to MDD.
In general terms, elderly people are less prone to experience MDD than younger adults, although a higher prevalence of other depressive disorders was noted, and they have critical clinical implications. Older people can benefit from an increased ability to regulate emotions; however, the particular age-related biological processes might cause MDD in late life. Such processes, including white matter hyperintensities, age-related increases in inflammation, cognitive impairment, and dementia, significantly contribute to the incidence of depression in older age. To conclude, depression and anxiety among older populations have adverse clinical outcomes, causing suffering, stress, and impaired functioning in ordinary life oneself. Therefore, such disorders and related symptoms must be identified early to provide timely and effective treatment and prevent severe consequences.
Reference
Haigh, E. A. P., Bogucki, O. E., Sigmon, S. T., & Blazer, D. G. (2018). Depression among older adults: A 20-year update on five common myths and misconceptions. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 26(1), 107–122.