Depression and the Elderly

Depression is not a normal part of aging, and yet it often goes undiagnosed. Many seniors are resistant to treatment because they don't want to burden their families, or equate depression with weakness or even death.   View slideshow

Depression is not a normal part of aging, but nearly 20% of the older population—twice the rate of younger cohorts—experiences it. Even more troubling, only half of seniors with mental health problems gets treatment...  Read More

"One of the hardest questions I get from families is, 'How can I get my elderly loved one mental health help when they don't want it?' " says Joel E. Streim, MD, professor of geriatric psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. Many seniors are resistant to treatment because they don't want to burden their families...   Read More

Cathy Lowery, 50, of Western Springs, Ill., says her mother was doing fine in her assisted living home until she developed age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a condition that causes severely blurred vision or blindness. Now she's worried that this health problem is making her mother feel depressed...  Read More