Depression in Elderly Women

The rate of depression is more common among older women than older men; hence the older women experience more symptoms of depressive disorder.

There are certain risk factors which are common in elderly women. In the mid age, some women may have to experience some panic situation or severe disease which often can increase the chances of depression among them. Most often the elderly women could not handle the situation and become psychologically sick that can lead them to develop depression. The factors that are generally responsible for elderly women depression are as follows:

• Chronic stress.
• Change of old housing.
• Dependency on other.
• Declining health.
• Excessive use of Alcohol and Drugs.
• Financial crisis.
• Great grief.
• Hospitalization.
• Loss of significant one (favorite one or loved one).
• Marital difficulties.
• Over responsibility.
• Previous painful incident.
• Retirement.
• Severe physical illness.
• Separation or divorce.
• Sensory loss Problems (e.g. illness) affecting family member.
• Socio-economic decline.
• Social isolation.
• Nonconstructive relationship with other family member.

In the middle age, these unusual events or factors can bring negative impact in an older woman’s life put her in the depressive state. For example, most of the service holder women took retirement from job which put them under financial crisis as well as make them dependent to others. These dependency and financial crisis often foster depression in their life.

In the middle age, loneliness is another big factor which can create depression in their life. Feeling of loneliness could take place in life for various reasons such as break from professional life, death of husband or partner; even some children keep their old mother in the old home and make them isolated from all social relationship. Sometimes these factors become so severe and put them in the riskier stage even sometimes they can commit to suicidal deaths.

Moreover during this stage of life an older woman can be attacked by severe diseases like chronic pain, heart diseases and these physical diseases can cause depressive illness. Thyroid also can trigger depression since thyroid often brings hormonal changes and physical changes to a woman’s life.

But in most cases the older women could not properly diagnosis their symptoms of depressive illness. Though they are experiencing the signs but often they become unaware of it. Even some old women are reluctant to express their difficulties to others, as a result the doctors become unable to recognize their illness. 

Every older woman should be well educated about the signs so that she would be able to take the right medication for her. The older women should be aware of the following symptoms which are considered as the most common symptoms for women during their middle age:

• Appetite change
• Agitation
• Diminished evidence of ability to think
• Feeling of worthlessness
• Feeling of loneliness
• Guilt feeling
• Gain of weight or loss of weight
• Loss of interest or enjoyment in normal activities
• Loss of energy
• Loss of confidence or self-esteem
• Lack of concentration
• Mood disorder  continued for at least two weeks
• Recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts or behavior
• Sleep disturbance

Sometimes the depressed older women misinterpret these signs as the outcomes of severe illness like heart diseases or chronic pain and take the wrong medicines. Though the menopause period increases the chance of depressive disorder among female but the post menopause stage reduce the number of depression among older women. After menopause, most of the depressed older women get rid of their depressive illness.

In order to get rid of this disorder proper diagnosis is must. So if the depressed women could take proper treatment and aware of the signs and symptoms then they can properly diagnosis their illness and can come out of depression. The family members also should be aware of these signs and ensure her proper treatment by taking her to the doctor and monitor her medicine taking.

But higher rate of depression does not mean that every older woman develop depression. Some older women can strongly handle the unusual situations of their mid life and overcome this period successfully.