Feeling poor is a classic symptom of depression in old age. Patients like to fantasize about being poor, thinking that their children don’t want them anymore, and their lives have no sustenance. Some elderly patients with depression still skip meals, fearing that they will run out of food, and what’s more, they have to pick up everything they see, and store their room as a warehouse for second-hand goods.
According to the latest survey data from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, among the elderly over 60 years old in my country, the incidence of depression has reached about 15%, which is a very common disease with high incidence. The biggest feature of senile depression is that the symptoms are hidden and it is difficult to detect early. Today, we have selected 3 typical cases for readers’ reference.
”Sick all over”
Aunt Liu, 72, often suffers from insomnia recently. She often can’t fall asleep at 3 a.m. or wakes up at 5 a.m. She is exhausted after waking up.
In addition, her appetite is not good, even the food she used to eat most. At the same time, she also suffered from dizziness, headache, rapid heartbeat, and upset stomach. For this reason, she went to the hospital many times, checked her whole body and found that she was not sick, and finally came to the psychiatric department for treatment. The psychiatrist said: “Aunt Liu seems to be ‘all over the body’, but she is actually a mental illness. She is a typical elderly depression patient.”
Why is elderly depression easily confused with symptoms of physical diseases? This is because people’s physical fitness will naturally decline as they get older. Some elderly people have some heart and gastrointestinal problems. If they have a bad appetite or are unhappy, they will mistakenly think that the chronic disease has worsened. If it is not identified by professionals, it is easy to treat depression as other diseases.
In addition, there are many comorbidities of senile depression and chronic somatic diseases. For example, if the elderly suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure, etc., then his risk of depression may be 50% to 55%. In addition, 1/3 of people who suffer from cerebral infarction will suffer from depression, because cerebral infarction itself will cause damage to the blood vessels of the cerebral nervous system. This damage is a factor that induces depression. Antidepressant therapy as usual treatment. However, the most important thing for depression is early detection and early treatment. If this can be done, 80% of patients can return to normal levels.
Can’t get enough of anything
Recently, the 60-year-old Uncle Wang retired. However, he was unhappy every day and did not want to go out. Later, he was unwilling to answer calls from old friends. His wife’s opinion of him became more and more serious, and the quarrels at home became more and more frequent. After much persuasion from neighbors, Uncle Wang finally went to the hospital and was diagnosed with depression.
Why Retirement Causes Depression? This is because retirees who suddenly leave their jobs will feel at a loss and have nothing to do. If there is no social interaction, no one pays attention and understands him, the pain will become more and more intensified, and it may lead to depression to a certain extent. At this time, patients can develop some hobbies or engage in group activities with friends and family. From a medical point of view, the interaction and emotional communication between people will activate the coordination of the brain.
Dreaming of poverty and always loving an extremely frugal life
Since the death of his wife, 72-year-old Aunt Xu has been living alone. Two months ago, she suddenly became sluggish. At first, her family thought it was normal for her to be old, but recently they discovered that Aunt Xu, who was in a good family, not only was reluctant to spend money, but also picked up bottles for money when she went out, and her memory also became very poor. Poor, I often go out with the remote control. The family thought she was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, but the hospital diagnosis was geriatric depression.
It is understood that feeling poor is another typical symptom of depression in old age. Patients like to fantasize about being poor, thinking that their children don’t want them anymore, and their lives have no sustenance. Some elderly patients with depression still skip meals, fearing that they will run out of food, and what’s more, they have to pick up everything they see, and store their room as a warehouse for second-hand goods.
In fact, there is a big difference between senile depression and Alzheimer’s disease: First, the memory loss of Alzheimer’s disease occurs slowly, and it is only obvious when it accumulates. Memory loss in geriatric depression is sudden and rapid. Plus, it’s also about emotions. If you are in a good mood, your cognitive function will be normal, but if you are in a bad mood, you will not be able to remember anything. Second, patients with depression often blame themselves for not being able to remember things, but patients with Alzheimer’s disease do not care about their memory.
Depression is a disease that requires the care and company of family members, and family members must resist the urge to criticize or judge. For patients with depression, talking too much, doing too much, and asking for attention is a manifestation of psychological pain. Criticism will increase his burden and pain, and aggravate his condition. It is understood that the effect of psychological companionship and treatment is no less than that of drug treatment.
With the advent of an aging society, we should not only care about the material needs of the elderly, but also care about their mental and psychological health, especially when the elderly are lonely and depressed, a phone call, a visit, a company, and their loneliness , Pain may be a great consolation, whether it is the prevention or treatment of senile depression, it is of great significance.
