Depression in old age. The reasons for the emergence of depression in old age.
Depression in old age occur very often. It was found that depression affects 15-20% of people older than 60 years, and in patients with severe disease therapy, this figure reaches 40-60%. Not all depressed patients are senile age receive adequate therapy. Depression in old age is not always easily recognizable. Reduced background mood, pessimism, disbelief in the future, fear of near death, anxiety, decrease in activity and loss of former interests, complaints of impotence, a variety of pain, poor appetite, disturbed sleep, patients themselves, their relatives, and sometimes the doctors viewed as the natural manifestations of aging with its concomitant limitation of physical and social opportunities. Frequent manifestation of depression in old age is changing the nature and behavior of patients. They become irritable, captious, selfish, focused on their illness. These changes in mood and behavior-being of older people indicate the presence of serious illness - depression.
The causes of depression in old age is varied. Depression in old age may develop as a reaction to severe life events - the loss of loved ones, loneliness, changes in lifestyle due to retirement, the emergence of therapeutic conditions. Depression in old age may be the result of hereditary predisposition to the occurrence. Age-related changes in the body and external circumstances psihotravmiruyuschie support the identification of the hereditary predisposition, even if during the life of any manifestations of depression were observed. Finally, depression in old age may be one of the first manifestations of organic brain disease associated with vascular lesion of the brain or the development of senile dementia. More rarely, the development of depression in old age is associated with certain diseases, such as endocrine, or use of certain drugs.
Manifestations of depression in old age has its own characteristics in each case, and an accurate diagnosis could only doctor. Currently, there are a large number of effective drugs, as well as non-methods for the treatment of depression in old age.
