Have you ever felt depressed in your entire life? How has it affected your lifestyle and social circles? Did depression cause adverse effects on your eating habits?

The National Institute of Mental Health characterizes depression as a common but serious mood disorder which is also commonly called as major depressive disorder or clinical depression. This disorder causes severe effects which could eventually result to in unproductivity in the workplace, decreased appetite, or disturbed sleep.

In the country alone, the Web site of Mental Health America recorded that at least 19 million Americans experience episodes of depression per year. Two million of this 19 million or 10 % of the total number of depressed individuals are senior citizens.

What triggers depression in older adults?

• Burden overload. You might have thought that life after retirement would be an easy life,; but this may not be true for some. As you age, the burdens you carry increases- finances, problems with children, etc.
  Life may indeed, be demanding. But what you should do to lighten the thoughts that have been bothering you for long is to step back from thinking too much and breathe. If things are not too important and you could not contribute enough to find a resolution, leave it to be solved by those concerned. Rest your mind and eliminate of those unnecessary burdens.
• Vitamin B12 deficiency. Also termed as cobalamin, Vitamin B12 plays an essential role in the functioning of the brain and the whole of the nervous system, as well as the formation of new red blood cells. Older adults are at higher risk of Vitamin B12 deficiency because as we get older, the levels of stomach acid which release B12 from food decreases.
  So if you feel lethargic or stressed out, you have to see your doctor because a lack of Vitamin B12 might be to be blamed for such. Once the doctor sees that injecting Vitamin B12 to your body would be the solution to keep you away from depression, he might recommend such method.
• Arthritis. Yes, this disease will not just deprive you of your overly-physically active days but it may also trigger depression. Rheumatoid arthritis is actually one of the reasons why geriatric depression is getting prevalent- the more people suffering from achy joints, the more individuals who will experience depression.
  If you have arthritis and you do not want to feel too depressed, meditating and listening to classical music for at least an hour a day could help boost your mood. When your body still permits you to, you can also try some forms of exercise to strengthen your bones, in a way.
• Physical emptiness. Living alone in a big home where you used to live with your spouse and children could greatly contribute to being depressed. The loneliness would further be triggered by menopause when your hormones act in a different way or by retirement when you would have nothing much to do but contemplate or reminisce the days you had with them.
  As a way to lessen the risk of depression, you can try reconnecting with your spouse, children, and friends. Hobbies like doing arts and crafts, dancing and cooking can also switch your focus from just feeling lonesome and helpless.
• Poor sleeping habits. Do you know that older persons have a higher probability of getting insomnia? In fact, a majority of senior citizens have attested that they have been experiencing more sleep disruptions than years or decades back. Since sleeping is directly connected to depression, less number of hours of sleep leads to higher probability of one getting stressed out.
  Whenever you notice the consistency and continuation of your defective sleeping habits, you should see your doctor to learn more on about the factors that trigger them like sleeping hygiene, irregular sleeping schedule or consumption of caffeine, alcohol, or nicotine.

Surprisingly, many senior citizens have also chosen to end their lives because of depression. Hence, as your friendly and trustworthy Residential Care Center in Ivy Grove SC, Harmony Residential Care Center would want to ask you to follow the above-mentioned tips and research more about geriatric depression.