A report yesterday claimed that depression in old age is set to be the next big health crisis.
According to James Warner, the Chairman of the Faculty of the Psychiatry of Old Age at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, nine in ten elderly people go without help because doctors struggle to spot the signs of depression.
Dr Warner said: “Depression is a big issue. It’s often unrecognised, and older people are at significant risk of suicide.”
Dr Warner said that while dementia had been put at the top of the political agenda, other mental health problems had been relegated in importance.
He added:
A lot of people will have lonely lives and it’s not being picked up because they don’t speak to anyone. It worries me that a large number of people are out there with depression and not being treated.
Previous studies have suggested that two million people over 65 will have depression at some point and one in ten is depressed at any one time.
Dr Warner added: “I think this is our next big public health problem. Depression is the most miserable, corrosive, unpleasant condition you can imagine.”
Common causes of depression are loneliness, loss of a loved one and the loss of one’s physical independence.
While medical treatment may be necessary in some of the more serious cases, regular companionship and conversation can also go a long way towards helping older people who are showing the early signs of depression.
The SureCare team of carers spends thousands of hours each week with older people over the age of 65, helping them to maintain their independence in their own homes by carrying out a full range of services and chores around the home. We also recognise that sometimes the greatest service we can provide is listening, maybe over a cup of tea or a meal.