Depression knows no age

Depression and anxiety touch the lives of countless Australians, both young and old, every day. A recent study suggests that people get more depressed from age 65 onwards.

Posted November 18th 2015

by Margot White

Mental Health

<p>A recent study suggests that people get more depressed from age 65 onwards.</p> — A recent study suggests that people get more depressed from age 65 onwards.

The study, led by University of Bradford lecturer Dr Helena Chui and published in the international journal Psychology and Aging, builds on a 15-year project observing over 2,000 older Australians living in the Adelaide area.

Men and women taking part in the study reported increasingly more depressive symptoms as they aged, with women initially starting with more depressive symptoms than men. However, men showed a faster rate of increase in symptoms so that the difference in the genders was reversed at around the age of 80.

Key factors in these increases include levels of physical impairment, the onset of medical conditions, particularly chronic ones, and the approach of death. Half of those in the study suffered from arthritis and both men and women with the chronic condition reported more depressive symptoms than those without.

Dr Chui says: “These findings are very significant and have implications for how we deal with old age. It’s the first study to tell us depressive symptoms continue to increase throughout old age. We are in a period of unprecedented success in terms of people living longer than ever and in greater numbers and we should be celebrating this but it seems that we are finding it hard to cope.

“It seems that we need to look carefully at the provision of adequate services to match these needs, particularly in the area of mental health support and pain management. Social policies and ageing-friendly support structures, such as the provision of public transport and access to health care services are needed to target the ‘oldest-old’ adults as a whole.”

DPS Publishing recognises the importance of mental health awareness and was able to play a small part in spreading a mental health support message.

When Adelaide band the yatzee gods released a song about their experience with depression, they were looking for a location for their video clip. The video was filmed in the offices of DPS Publishing.

Their song ‘Dazed & confused’ paints a powerful picture of the daily battle people living with depression and anxiety face and shares the message that depression does not discriminate and is not a sign of weakness.

For help, advice or someone to talk to about depression, contact Lifeline 13 11 14 or beyondblue 1300 22 4636.