How do you know if you're depressed? Everyone feels unhappy, bitter or disappointed from time to time. Although such feelings should not be ignored, they do not necessarily mean that you suffer from depression. It is also easy to confuse some age-related changes of depression, for example, if you sleep fewer hours than you used to, it may simply be a normal part of aging and not a harbinger of depression.
You should consult a doctor if.
* You develop new signs and symptoms that trouble you most of the day, nearly every day for a period of two weeks or more.
* You experience a significant weight loss, not because of diet, or significant weight gain, ie, more than 5 percent of your total body weight in one month (normally if you weigh 150 pounds, which means gain or a loss of eight pounds in one month).
* You think the loss experience memory, confusion or difficulty concentrating.
* You experience persistent feelings of depression and physical symptoms after being diagnosed with a serious or chronic illness, or following a bereavement.
* You have recurring thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), suicidal ideation with a specific plan, or a specific plan for committing suicide.
How is depression diagnosed?
The good news about depression is that most people, treatment can greatly relieve and even cure your symptoms. But before treatment can begin, it is absolutely vital that the problem is recognized.
Sometimes people will complain to their doctors that they feel depressed. In many cases, however, depression is diagnosed after you have sought help for a problem such as insomnia, digestive disorders, headaches and nervousness.
Your doctor may sometimes want to exclude an underlying disease that could be causing these symptoms, so you may be asked to undergo a physical examination, including laboratory analysis of blood and urine. She will review your current medications, ask about your general state of mind and find evidence that may suggest depression slowed speech and gestures, agitated movements like shaking hands or stimulation, stooped posture, of irritability, sad or empty phrase, or a desire to cry unkempt appearance.
How to treat depression?
Older people who suffer from depression tend to experience more rapid physical and mental deterioration of a younger person with the same disease. Therefore, the depression in the elderly requires a fast and vigorous, usually in the form of medication, psychotherapy or a combination of medication and psychotherapy.
In some cases, your family physician or a specialist in geriatric medicine may be able to treat you for depression. But if your depression is incapacitating, if it does not respond to treatment, if it occurs, or accompanied by suicidal thoughts, you will probably be referred to a psychiatrist. The best specialist is a geriatric psychiatrist if available in your community or a psychiatrist with experience in treating the elderly.
Posted on March 24, 2010.
