Depression In Older Adults

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

or isolation (Fulton, 2009).
The manifestation of depressive disorders in adolescents is often misinterpreted. Adolescents are sometimes not heard or choose not to express themselves. This makes it difficult for parents, peers, doctors, clinicians, etc. to help them with this disorder. To help these teens become aware of the signs and symptoms of depression Schiller et. al, (2009) made an informative booklet. This booklet aimed to give a better understanding of depression for these adolescents and to help peers as well.
Furthermore, these adolescents that go untreated for depression are not heard and believe that it is just puberty and eventually it will go away.

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,

2015).
In comparison, the elderly just as the adolescents are not correctly diagnosed with a depressive disorder because it is often unrecognized in the elderly population. Initially depression in the elderly can be difficult to treat because older adults already have an illness. In order to take care of themselves the elderly take medications that help manage with other illness. By doing so, the primary care physicians often do not see that the patient is depressed and goes untreated. Taking other medications is necessary for the elderly, however it may cause drug interactions that can interfere with treatment for depression. Research shows suicide rates in the elderly, especially men, are higher when depression is left untreated (Fulton, 2009).
Depression in the elderly arises because they have become so vulnerable due to all the stressful life events they have encountered throughout life (Patten, 2013). With their vulnerability at its lowest the elderly become isolated. Many of these older adults have spouses, family, and friends that similar to themselves are expecting death because of their age and overall illnesses they may have. The elderly suffer from the loss of a loved one that can cause them to have financial stress when they become aware that their families will be in the same positon, after their own death. These older adults go through many losses that leave them lonely, meaning no interaction or having a type of social support by any means. Families do not realize the harm they do with the older adults when they exclude them from family events. Just as for adolescents these symptoms of depression need to be recognized in order to be treated. All of these examples can lead to depression in the elderly population (Fulton, 2009).
In regards to both the adolescent and elderly population to accurately diagnose with a depressive disorder the patient needs to first be able to identify that they may have a problem, recognition. Once they recognize that there is an issue they need to find a treatment that is effective for them. In the adolescent and elderly population, the most common treatment is psychotherapy, however, other treatment is available (Patten, 2013).
In the adolescent population, research shows, only 23% are treated for depression despite of the efficacy of treatment. All leading back to the knowledge of signs of depression that mainly causes them to go untreated, thus leading to a high rate of mental health services being so low (Schiller, et. al, 2014).
The elderly usually have other illnesses that can lead to depression, but physicians take several exams in order to rule out the medical condition with the mental health issue.

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,

2009).
The research provided states the causes of how the manifestation of depressive disorders goes untreated in adolescents and the elderly. More evidence is needed in order to better diagnose depressive disorders to avoid going untreated in the adolescent and elderly population. For the adolescent population research has shown that by providing more information about, the depressive disorders to them can be efficient