Mental health problems are so often spoken about in relation to the young. But help is out there for older people too
‘The NHS primer for GPs says that how a patient makes the GP feel is often a good reflection of how that person is feeling.’ Photograph: kupicoo/Getty Images
Nearly half of all adults surveyed for AgeUK say they have experienced depression or anxiety, but many feel they have to keep a stiff upper lip and soldier on rather than seek help. There has been some great work in raising awareness and tackling the stigma of mental health problems, spearheaded by the glamorous young royals, but it tends to be aimed at young people, with little or no emphasis on elderly people. For them it’s a triple whammy: they are less likely to seek help, GPs may not recognise the signs, and society may expect depression to be a natural consequence of ageing, loss and loneliness.
NHS England is encouraging GPs to look out for mental health problems in older patients, and offer interventions – talking therapies or medication – as appropriate. But
- is it true that depression is an inevitable part of ageing?
- Is the older generation more stoical?
- Are the young more flaky? And
- how can you tell if you have depression yourself, or if an older friend or relative is suffering unnecessarily?
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As an older person myself I know that I have depression which is treated by anti-depressants but I could just as easily have slipped through the net when as a middle-aged person I turned up at my GP’s surgery in tears. She could just have said “it’s your age dear” or have assumed that living with an alcoholic had stressed me out but that there was nothing else wrong. She did neither of those things and I am eternally grateful.
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