DEPRESSION IN LATER LIFE: AN ESSENTIAL GUIDE
by
Dr. Deborah Serani
by
Dr. Deborah Serani
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Pages: 286
Genre: Self-Help/Psychology
BOOK BLURB:
The geriatric population, defined as men and women 65 years and
older, is the fastest growing population in the world. Little attention
has been given to the mental health of the aging, and often treatable
disorders are overlooked entirely. Depression is one of the leading
mental disorders in any age group, but among the elderly, it is often
viewed as a normal part of aging. But it’s not. Depression at any age
requires attention and treatment.Depression in Later Life is a go-to guide that introduces readers to depression among the aging and elderly. It looks at both sufferers who’ve been diagnosed in their younger years as well as those with a new diagnosis, and reviews the symptoms, the diagnostic process, treatment options including alternative and holistic approaches, and long-term care for those experiencing mild, moderate, or severe depression. With real stories throughout, the book illustrates the many forms depression can take, and Dr. Serani offers a compassionate voice alongside practical advice for sufferers, caregivers, and families.
BOOK IS AN AWARD WINNER: 2016 Gold Medal Winner, Psychology, Foreword Review https://www.forewordreviews.com/awards/books/depression-in-later-life/.
What is
Late-Life Depression?
I know depression because I’ve
endured it my entire life. I had it as a child and it worsened as I became a
teenager. And it still lingers in the margins of my life at age 55. For me,
depression was a chronic illness that left me in despair and frighteningly
unaware of its grinding misery. I didn’t recognize the symptoms – and neither
did any family or friends. In fact, as my depression worsened as a college
student, I sank into a featureless existence, either awake in a fatigued haze
or sleeping the entire day away. Gradually, the bitter brine of depression
flooded my mind with hopelessness. I didn’t care about the future and I
couldn’t find purpose in the present. It didn’t occur to me that anything was
out-of-sorts, short-sighted or even peculiar as my thinking became more
corrosive. When I attempted suicide at age 19 with a handgun, it
felt right. It felt comforting.
Of course, looking back, I was in
deep emotional and physical pain and believed I found a way to make it stop.
But it wasn’t a healthy choice. I was making a decision from an incredibly
distorted reality. Luckily my plan was interrupted and I immediately got help.
I began intensive psychotherapy and discovered that I’d been living with dysthymic
disorder and that it escalated into a major depressive episode.
Having both these disorders was called a double depression, and I
learned how to replace the quiet agony of my illness with tools to live a more
meaningful life. The experience I had with talk therapy was so life-changing
and life-saving that it inspired me to become a psychologist. I combined my
personal experiences with depression with my training as a clinician and became
an expert in mood disorders. I realized that my personal experiences with
depression offered enormous insight to those who sought treatment with me
because I know the talk and I walk the walk.
In the 45 years of personally living
with depression and the 25 years of professionally treating it as a disorder,
this is what I’ve learned:
Depression doesn’t care if you’re
rich or famous, poor or homeless.
It doesn’t care if you’re young or
old.
Or if you’re ordinary or superlatively
gifted.
Depression cuts across social
economic status, is found in every culture and in every country around the
world.
Depression will drape its chokehold
over men, women and children - and thinks nothing of how it decays your mind,
siphons your soul and crushes the glimpse of possibility, hope and freedom at
every turn.
Depression is not an experience that
fades with the next sunrise or can be shaken off with a newfound attitude. It
won’t be cured by tough-love. Or rectified by ignoring it. You can’t snap out
of it or will it away either. And if you try to minimize its wrenching hold on
your health, it’ll root itself even deeper. Depression can’t be ranked
alongside adjectives like blue, sad, dejected, down, melancholy or unhappy.
Those words just won’t do… because they don’t even come close to describing
what depression feels like.
Depression demands you to see it for
what it truly is – an illness. And while it’s a serious illness, it is
treatable. The key to success in living with depression is early
identification, consistent treatment and planning to manage your illness.
Defining Depression
Depression is a complex illness that
significantly impacts the way you feel, think and behave. According
to the World Health Organization, depression involves feelings of
worthlessness, decreased energy, hopelessness, poor concentration, negative
thinking and disrupted sleeping and eating patterns, just to name a few. The
most predominant of these symptoms is a depressed mood, and because of this, depression
is classified as a mood disorder. Sometimes called affective
disorders, mood disorders are the most common mental illness, touching over
a hundred million people worldwide. Mood disorders aren’t the result of a
weakness of character, laziness or a person’s inability to buck up and be
strong. Mood disorders are a real medical condition.
The Geriatric Population
It’s
important to know that depression can occur at any age, but in this book, we’re
looking at depression in later life. Specifically, the geriatric population -
which are individuals 65 years of age and older. Sometimes referred to as seniors
or the elderly, geriatric citizens are the fastest growing population
in the world. In America, alone, the baby boomer generation now makes up
over 50 million of the senior population. With people living longer, and the
combination of medical advances and technology improving the state of
healthcare, the senior population is expected to soar to 72 million by the year
2030. More specifically, The US Census Bureau reports that in the next 45
years, people over the age 65 will double, and people over the age 85 will
triple. And now more than ever, centenarians, people 100 years of age and
older, are not just reaching these amazing ages, but living richly textured
lives.
While gerontology, the study of the
aging process in human beings, has brought insights about the physical,
emotional and social needs of this population, little has been done to train
geriatric health professionals. In fact, 97% of medical school students have no
training in geriatrics, and the rate of doctors graduating with a geriatrician
degree are lower now than ten years ago.
Even geriatric psychology, or geropsychology,
the specialty that focuses on the mental health of the elderly, isn’t gaining
the kind of traction needed to help those living in their golden years.
This makes identifying and treating
depression in later life difficult. But with the help you get in Depression in Later Life, you'll be equipped
to see the early warning signs and know where to get help.
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