BODY SIGNAL ALERT: DEPRESSION
Description and Possible Medical Problems
Depression is probably the most underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed disease in America today. As a result, it is vastly undertreated. Part of the problem stems from the stigma against mental illness that exists in all segments of society. Particularly among the elderly, depression is extremely common and many times goes unrecognized. Depression is also a side effect of many chronic diseases, and it frequently develops after a person is hospitalized for a heart attack, small stroke, or another illness.
If you answer yes to one or more of the following questions about yourself or a loved one, chances are that depression is the cause.
1. Have you noticed a change in your sleeping habits? Are you sleeping more or less lately?
2. Do you lack motivation and energy?
3. Do you have difficulty concentrating for long periods of time?
4. Are you eating more than usual? Or have you lost your appetite?
5. Have you felt suicidal lately?
Depression is often the result of lifestyle changes that we are ill prepared to accept. For example, it’s very common for a man to become depressed after he retires, since his role as employee as well as his status within the company probably served as his primary identity for many years. Once that position is taken away, many people have an identity crisis and can become very depressed.
In younger people in their late 40s or early 50s, a midlife crisis can spark a lengthy depression; premenopausal women who are leaving their childbearjng years behind are also at risk for depression.
In my practice, I once saw a police captain who had retired after many years of service. He had taken a job as a security guard so he’d have something to do. However, he had become very depressed over the change in status in his life and job, and he had attempted suicide. After he failed, he sought help and learned that the change in his life hadn’t changed who he was as a person. As a result, he began to enjoy life again.
Occasionally, depression can be a sign of a serious illness that has not yet manifested itself. This is especially true in any cancer of the gastrointestinal system, such as pancreatic or colon cancer. Though we don’t know the exact reason for this, some speculate that it may be a result of the body’s inability to process food and nutrients properly once the cancer begins to grow. And in elderly people, depression is a major cause of suicide.
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