Find out more about our mental health series here.
Grief and loss, isolation, chronic health conditions and dementia can lead to mental health issues in older adults. But oftentimes, depression in seniors can go undetected because it can look like other signs of aging.
Patrick Raue, psychologist and a professor at the University of Washington, focuses his research on how to prevent and manage mental health issues in elderly people.
He says that most older adults are doing quite well mentally because over a long lifetime, people navigate the tough things that inevitably come with life. But, he says, there are specific risk factors for seniors that can lead to mental health issues.
“Most older adults in the community are actually doing pretty well emotionally and their mental health is actually better than middle-aged adults, but there are many risk factors as we get older that can contribute to the possibility of depression,” Raue says. “Chronic medical illnesses, disability, social isolation, lower income, all of those things can increase the risk for depression as we age.”
4 questions with Patrick Raue
Does depression and anxiety look the same in older people as it might in younger people?
“There are some core symptoms that can be the same [such as] a lowered mood, lack of interest in activities that normally brought us pleasure, but there are some unique features among older adults. There can be some more physical presentation of some depressive symptoms, things like lowered energy, aches and pains, feeling it in the body more.”
Why do these risk factors make seniors more prone to depression?
“When we get older, if we are experiencing issues with getting around or functional limitations, we may be more likely to be isolated and these are all factors that can increase risk of depression.”
How do you navigate the unique stigma older adults may have about mental health?
“That’s definitely a big issue, and we have seen that despite high rates of depression in certain groups of older adults, that many, if they’re offered treatment, may say, ‘Thank you, but no, thanks.’
“And a lot of that is due to denial of need for treatment, discomfort with admitting that they’re struggling, and this is why we see that a lot of older adults don’t make use of the mental health-trained workforce, like psychologists and psychiatrists and social workers. Many of them are not comfortable seeing a formal mental health professional.”
What is the best way to reach older people who may be facing mental health issues?
“I’ve actually developed a program for older adults experiencing depression that is led by their peers. So these are older adults in the community who are trained and supervised in a program that I call ‘Do More, Feel Better,’ and that starts with friendly listening and showing warmth and empathy.
“But then it’s also teaching a set of skills to older adults who are struggling to help them tune into the things that are important to them and give their life meaning, but they may have stopped doing because of depression and how that robs us of our energy and our motivation to engage in these things.
“So I think it can break down some of those stigma issues that we were talking about or not wanting to admit that one is experiencing depression and needs formal help. So a peer is a person who is within the community that the older adult lives in and somebody who can support them kind of make some changes and cope as well as they can.”
Samantha Raphelson produced and edited this interview for broadcast with Michael Scotto. Raphelson also adapted it for the web.
This segment aired on August 15, 2024.
link