Many people think that it is normal for elderly people to be depressed. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Most older people enjoy happy, active and interesting lives. Unfortunately, when an elderly person gets depressed, people often dismiss the symptoms as a "normal" part of aging, as they assume that getting older in and of itself must be "depressing." Once again, this is simply not true.
Untreated depression in the elderly is a serious problem that causes great suffering. One difficulty in identifying depression in the elderly is that many of the symptoms of depression (e.g., sleep difficulties, fatigue, appetite disturbance) can mimic certain medical conditions. Sometimes depression in the elderly is mistaken for Alzheimer's Disease or dementia.
Breanne, Bilingual Health Educator