Depression in older adults – what to know about mental health at every age
From the book – Chapter 12: Child, Teen and Adult Mental Health
Depression in older adults
Often under-recognised and mislabelled as normal ageing. Signs may include persistent sadness, emptiness, or irritability; loss of interest; sleep and appetite changes; fatigue; excessive worry about health; thoughts of death or suicide. It is treatable and should not be ignored. It can co-occur with medical illnesses and dementia.
Read the full chapter – Chapter 12: Child, Teen and Adult Mental Health
Stories from real life
- The Boy Who Could Not Sit Still – Aryan, nine, studies in a busy school in Ahmedabad. He cannot stay in his seat, forgets his homework, blurts out answers and loses his things. His…
- Sofia and the Glow of the Screen – Sofia, fifteen, lives in Johannesburg. She was a cheerful girl, but since moving to a new school she spends hours online comparing herself to girls who…
- Neha Stops Saying Yes – Neha, thirty-eight, is a project manager in Bengaluru and mother of two. Her day starts at five and ends at midnight: office calls, school lunches, in-laws'…
- Mr Iyer Forgets the Way Home – Mr Iyer, seventy-eight, a retired teacher in Chennai, took the same walk to the temple every morning for forty years. Last month he lost his way…
More on this topic: Children, teenagers and parents – mental health at home and school
More questions
- Anxiety in older adults – what to know about mental health at every age
- Dementia and cognitive disorders – older adult mental health (roughly age 60 and above)
- Support – older adult mental health (roughly age 60 and above)
- Understanding gender and mental health
- Culture, faith and mental health across ages – explained simply
- When to seek help at any age?
- Infancy: before birth to two years – explained simply
- What infants need?
- What are the signs of mental health at every age? Signs of healthy early development
- Early childhood (2 to 6 years) – explained simply
- Baby blues or postpartum depression?