Depression In Older Adults

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Manifestation of Depressive Disorders between Adolescence and the Elderly According to Anderson, Cesur, & Tekin (2015), depression is a very serious mental health problem all around the world and can sometimes be difficult to diagnose. Depression in the adolescent population is found to be one of the most common psychiatric disorders. Depression in older adults is just as common as in the adolescent population. Adolescents with depressive disorders commonly go untreated because it is not recognized, the fear of judgement, or adolescence are not aware of the symptoms of the disorder (Schiller, Schulte-Körne, Eberle-Sejari, Maier, & Allgaier, 2014). The elderly goes untreated because of stressful life events, the cause of another illness prior …show more content…

A primary doctor is the first to be consulted about symptoms and often do not recognize the symptoms as depression. Studies have shown that it is six times more probable for adolescents to have their mental health issue correctly identified by a physician if the adolescent identified they had a problem and indicated fear. Many adolescents do not seek help and this can be significant to their overall treatment. Stigmatization is what most adolescents worry about. Without having knowledge about the disorder, it can cause them to fear rejection, be ashamed, or have insecurities towards family and peers (Schiller, et.al, 2014). Evidence shows adolescents that do not get treated for their depression, as adults, have a higher risk of being involved in property crimes and being incarcerated (Anderson, Cesur, & Tekin, …show more content…

The tool that is used to screen depression in the elderly is the Geriatric Depression Scale. When screening is positive they do more tests and evaluations in order to determine currently. Typically, physicians begin treatment without any medications because it is more convenient than essentially taking on more drugs, as well as it has a lower relapse rate. The elderly seek therapists as depression can be prolonged and relapsing, therefore are recommended to get involved in social activities, exercise, pet therapy and art therapy, all of which have been found to be very helpful in the treatment (Fulton,

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