Depression of any kind can have serious consequences, including suicide. Elderly depression not only shares common characteristics with depression but also easily leads to physical illnesses such as myocardial infarction, hypertension, coronary heart disease, and cancer. Therefore, it is important to be familiar with the symptoms of elderly depression, take preventive measures, and receive effective treatment at the early stages of onset.
What are the symptoms of elderly depression?
Emotional Symptoms
According to statistics, the proportion of elderly people over 55 who suffer from depression can be as high as 10% to 15%, and some patients have severe symptoms, even leading to suicide. As with young people with depression, elderly individuals with depression experience unexplained and persistent feelings of low mood and sadness for more than two weeks. The most typical symptom is a feeling of hopelessness and loss of interest in life, work, and previously enjoyed hobbies.
Psychological Symptoms
1. Elderly individuals often experience forgetfulness. Although patients with depression may also have forgetfulness similar to dementia, the key difference is that dementia patients genuinely forget everything, while depression patients simply believe they have forgotten.
2. Depression refers to an unusual and persistent state of severe depressive mood, coupled with a sudden decrease in income (or complete loss of income), declining physical strength, health problems, and the loss of friends one by one.
3. Under the dominance of depressive emotions, elderly individuals often have self-deprecating and self-blaming thoughts, believing that they have not done anything well.
Physical Symptoms
1. Elderly individuals who previously had good sleep may suddenly have difficulty falling asleep, wake up too early after falling asleep, or feel like they haven't slept at all. Medications for neurasthenia often have no effect in these situations.
2. Elderly individuals who previously had regular bowel movements may have difficulty in bowel movement, and in severe cases, they may not have a bowel movement for a week. Digestive disorders such as loss of appetite or even complete loss of desire to eat, as well as symptoms such as abdominal distention and bad breath, may also occur.
How to Prevent Elderly Depression?
1. Cultivate a harmonious family atmosphere
Family members should do their best to establish a warm and harmonious family atmosphere for the elderly, respecting and valuing them, making them feel cared for and useful. Elderly individuals should also communicate more with young people, understand what young people are thinking these days, and establish a family atmosphere of mutual understanding and support.
2. Engage in more social interactions
After retirement, elderly individuals often feel lonely. Those who lack interests and hobbies are more prone to overthinking when faced with unfavorable situations. There are many elderly people in the community who are in similar situations. By participating in community activities, not only can they expand their circle of friends, but they can also find companions with similar interests, enrich their lives, and through mutual communication and support, promote the healthy development of their physical and mental well-being, effectively preventing the onset of depression.
3. Focus on health
Elderly individuals should pay attention to their own and their family's health, but they should not overly focus on it.
4. Diet adjustment
(1) Low-fat milk
Milk is one of the most popular health products and is also a favorite beauty beverage for many women. Warm milk can help us calm our emotions and have a calming effect, making it a powerful weapon against depression.
(2) Bananas
Bananas are one of the most common and beloved fruits in our lives. Especially, the alkaloids in bananas can invigorate our spirits and have a great help in driving away depression. So, people with depressive emotions can eat more bananas to relieve their mood.
(3) Garlic
Many people do not like to eat garlic, not only because of its spicy taste, but also because of its unpleasant odor. Therefore, many patients keep their distance from it. Research shows that eating garlic can relieve fatigue and depressive moods. So, don't ignore the benefits of garlic.
(4) Chicken
Many people may experience symptoms such as anemia, irritability, memory loss, and loss of appetite. This is mainly due to a lack of vitamin B12 in our bodies, and chicken contains a large amount of vitamin B12. So, when you have sleep disorders at night or are troubled by depressive emotions, you can eat more chicken to alleviate them.
(5) Deep-sea fish
Why are people who live by the seaside generally happier and less "disturbed" by depression? This is not only because of the beautiful scenery by the sea but also because they often eat fish. Omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil have a similar effect to lithium carbonate in antidepressants; both can stimulate the secretion of serotonin, which has a calming and anxiety-relieving effect.
