A lot of us think that it is easy to spot depression symptoms in the ones we love. This is because of the fact that the problem is often associated with sadness, lethargy, and tears. Older adults may deal with the condition in a different manner, and before you even know it, your loved ones are already suffering from it big time. A lot of times you may not see them sad, but noticeably, they have already been complaining about their lack of energy. That makes the situation a lot trickier than you think it is. Here is a list of symptoms you should definitely not ignore:
Loss of Interest
An older adult may start showing disinterest in the things they have been passionate about. It could manifest in the way they socialize with others or giving up on things they used to enjoy like baking or cooking. You may think this is normal for their age, and while it is quite a usual story in many people within the same age brackets, you shouldn’t ignore thi. Eventually, this may lead to loss of function. Never brush off any behavioral changes in the ones you love.
Cognitive Changes
Older people may often display signs of changes in cognition, and when this happens, a lot may mistake such symptoms for those commonly linked to dementia. The same thing happens when you get to see some loss of concentration in them. While it is true that conditions like Parkinson’s disease and the like may have these symptoms as well, they too can be taken as signs of depression.
Recurring Unpleasant Thoughts
Your loved one may be once cheerful, or even the life of the show. When that changes into something like having recurrent thoughts of anything unpleasant, like death, then that is a symptom that they are depressed. Often, they feel useless as they age. They may even attempt suicide at some point because they can no longer bear the emotions that have been bugging them inside.
Decrease or Increase in Appetite
Some people may find it usual for older adults to not be eating the same way they did when they were younger. While this may be true to their situation, you should not mistake it as a simple problem that goes with their age. Depression might be causing this to happen. They may be avoiding food a lot of times, even those that they love. At some point, they may also be wanting too much, to the extent that they may request to have meals that will comfort them.
Significant Weight Loss or Gain
This may not be just about the fact that they have an increased or decreased appetite at the moment. It can be a result of all other things that make them lethargic. Even if they perform health and wellness exercises from time to time, there will come a point when they may no longer be interested in doing so. All they want is to lock themselves in their rooms, doing nothing, hoping they could sleep, but realizing they will sleep too little.
Whenever any of the symptoms above manifest in your loved ones, do not take things sitting down. You have to do something about them. Depression, after all, does not merely have an impact on the way they think. It can lead to a whole lot of other concerns as well
