Aging and Depression

Contributing Factors

• Changing identity – During your adult life, you have been able to identify yourself as Mark the cop or Judy the teacher, but retirement has taken away your profession. For your entire life you have been able to identify yourself as Tom and Betty’s daughter, but after their passing, you aren’t anyone’s daughter anymore. The identities you have factor tremendously into your self-esteem and self-perception. As you age, your identity changes, and if you do not find new roles to fill, depression will grow.
• Changing functioning – Your hearing has become worse. Your vision has become worse and your memory is not what it used to be. You can’t move as quickly as you used to and completing simple tasks is now a great chore. As your abilities decline, depression grows if you cannot accept your new status.
• Changing habits – Older adults struggle to maintain the healthy habits that were previously in place. This is often true because many habits were tied to the structure that working supplied. Your day would revolve around your work shift so the eating, sleeping and exercise you did was based on that routine. Your body may struggle to find new balance with the new habits.

• Grief and loss – Growing old means watching other people die. This fact is extremely troublesome, but true. From grandparents, to parents, to peers and siblings, to people younger than you, outliving others creates tension. On one hand, you are happy to still be here. On the other hand, you lose because they are no longer positively affecting your life.
• Changing physical health – As you age, the risk for serious medical conditions including stroke, cancer, heart disease, MS, lupus and others increase. These physical changes trigger a psychological impact that influences the way you view yourself and your functioning. Under these conditions, depression blossoms.
• Changing medication – Because of the new physical health issues listed above, your doctors will be more likely to put you on new medication. These medications can include steroids, ulcer/reflux, anti-anxiety, blood pressure medication and beta-blockers. Even though these medications are useful in treating the intended symptoms, they are known to bring about symptoms of depression.
• Changing view of mortality – With the deaths that may seem to become commonplace in your life, it is only a matter of time before you consider your own mortality. Some people will have no problem adjusting to the thought of their own demise while others will struggle. The thought of dying leaves some panicked and depressed.

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