Saguaro
01-01-2008, 09:34 PM
The 82-year-old Murfreesboro woman has grieved the death of a sister and three brothers, but when her son died last year, the sadness wouldn't go away.
Marjorie Rowell said the depression was so debilitating she didn't want to do anything but sit in a chair in her house.
"It's just an emptiness inside you," Rowell said. "You just feel numb."
Health experts say seniors such as Rowell are at a greater risk for depression because they are likelier to experience traumatic events like the death of family and friends and serious health problems. It's estimated these life-altering experiences will trigger depression in 50 percent of people.
The Geriatric Mental Health Foundation, part of the American Association of Psychiatrists, has launched a campaign to raise awareness about the issue to try to get this population treatment. Nashville and Baltimore are the two pilot sites for the campaign, which is running public-service radio announcements.
"We want to get the word out that depression is treatable and it's not a normal part of aging," said Dr. Gary J. Kennedy, a foundation board member.
Kennedy said the campaign also is working to remove barriers to getting elderly people mental health treatment. Payment is one of those barriers.
Kennedy points out that Medicare recipients have to pay only a 20 percent co-pay to go to their doctor for treatment of physical symptoms, such as getting their blood pressure checked. But they are asked to pay a 50 percent co-pay for mental health services.
"We know that counseling can be just as effective as medication," Kennedy said. "The way Medicare is set up, it sends a message that this service isn't necessary. It's an indulgence."
Kennedy said that many seniors on fixed incomes aren't able to pay 50 percent of the costs to see a therapist. He said most people need six to 12 weeks of treatment.
"It takes time," he said.
Some resist treatment
Kennedy said the symptoms of depression — changes in sleep patterns, indecisiveness, losing interest in activities — can easily be written off as a normal part of aging.
Even if depression is recognized, seniors may be hesitant to get treatment.
"The older generation still thinks of taking medication for depression as some kind of moral failure," Kennedy said. "For the younger generation the stigma is much less."
Going without help can be deadly. White men who are 85 and older are especially at risk. They have a higher suicide rate than any other group — 49.8 suicides per 100,000 people compared with about 11 per 100,000 in the general population.
Dr. James Powers, a Vanderbilt University Medical Center associate professor of medicine and geriatrics, said that most times elderly people are responsive to seeking treatment once he explains why depression is occurring.
"I tell them the reason they can't eat, sleep and find the joy in living is because of a chemical imbalance," he said.
Rowell said she feels better after receiving counseling through Alive Hospice, the organization that took care of her son before he died.
"There's a hole in my heart that will always be there, but I've accepted it," she said. "I don't feel sad."
http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080101/NEWS07/801010355
Marjorie Rowell said the depression was so debilitating she didn't want to do anything but sit in a chair in her house.
"It's just an emptiness inside you," Rowell said. "You just feel numb."
Health experts say seniors such as Rowell are at a greater risk for depression because they are likelier to experience traumatic events like the death of family and friends and serious health problems. It's estimated these life-altering experiences will trigger depression in 50 percent of people.
The Geriatric Mental Health Foundation, part of the American Association of Psychiatrists, has launched a campaign to raise awareness about the issue to try to get this population treatment. Nashville and Baltimore are the two pilot sites for the campaign, which is running public-service radio announcements.
"We want to get the word out that depression is treatable and it's not a normal part of aging," said Dr. Gary J. Kennedy, a foundation board member.
Kennedy said the campaign also is working to remove barriers to getting elderly people mental health treatment. Payment is one of those barriers.
Kennedy points out that Medicare recipients have to pay only a 20 percent co-pay to go to their doctor for treatment of physical symptoms, such as getting their blood pressure checked. But they are asked to pay a 50 percent co-pay for mental health services.
"We know that counseling can be just as effective as medication," Kennedy said. "The way Medicare is set up, it sends a message that this service isn't necessary. It's an indulgence."
Kennedy said that many seniors on fixed incomes aren't able to pay 50 percent of the costs to see a therapist. He said most people need six to 12 weeks of treatment.
"It takes time," he said.
Some resist treatment
Kennedy said the symptoms of depression — changes in sleep patterns, indecisiveness, losing interest in activities — can easily be written off as a normal part of aging.
Even if depression is recognized, seniors may be hesitant to get treatment.
"The older generation still thinks of taking medication for depression as some kind of moral failure," Kennedy said. "For the younger generation the stigma is much less."
Going without help can be deadly. White men who are 85 and older are especially at risk. They have a higher suicide rate than any other group — 49.8 suicides per 100,000 people compared with about 11 per 100,000 in the general population.
Dr. James Powers, a Vanderbilt University Medical Center associate professor of medicine and geriatrics, said that most times elderly people are responsive to seeking treatment once he explains why depression is occurring.
"I tell them the reason they can't eat, sleep and find the joy in living is because of a chemical imbalance," he said.
Rowell said she feels better after receiving counseling through Alive Hospice, the organization that took care of her son before he died.
"There's a hole in my heart that will always be there, but I've accepted it," she said. "I don't feel sad."
http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080101/NEWS07/801010355