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Depression Help (Home) > Depression Basics > Depression in Adults Adult DepressionMajor depression, a significant predictor of suicide in elderly Americans, is a widely under recognized and under treated medical illness. According to one study, many older adults who commit suicide have visited their primary care physician very close to the time of the suicide: 20 percent on the same day, 40 percent within one week, and 70 percent within one month of the suicide. These findings point to the urgency of enhancing both the detection and the adequate treatment of depression as a means of reducing the risk of suicide among the elderly. Older Americans are disproportionately likely to commit suicide. Comprising only 13 percent of the U.S. population, individual ages 65 and older account for 20 percent of all suicide deaths, with white males being particularly vulnerable. The highest rate is for white men ages 85 and older: 65.3 deaths per 100,000 persons in 1996 (the most recent year for which statistics are available), about 6 times the national U.S. rate of 10.8 per 100,000. More than 2 million of the 34 million Americans age 65 and older suffer from some form of depression. In contrast to the normal emotional experiences of sadness, grief, loss, or passing mood states, major depression is extreme and persistent and can interfere significantly with an individual's ability to function. Less severe forms of depression are also common among the elderly and are associated with an increased risk of developing major depression. Depression, however, is not a normal part of aging. Both doctors and patients may have difficulty recognizing the signs of depression. In an effort to improve recognition of the illness and promote discussion about depression during medical visits, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has developed this cue card for older adults. ResearchModern brain imaging technologies are revealing that in depression, neural circuits responsible for the regulation of moods, thinking, sleep, appetite, and behavior fail to function properly, and that critical neurotransmitters--chemicals used by nerve cells to communicate--are out of balance. Genetics research indicates that vulnerability to depression results from the influence of multiple genes acting together with environmental factors. Studies of brain chemistry and of mechanisms of action of antidepressant medications continue to inform the development of new and better treatments.
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