• April 29, 2024

The Christmas season is a time to share with family the achievements that one year leaves us; however, there are people who do not enjoy those moments.

The Faculty of Medicine of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), defines depression is a disease that profoundly alters the feelings and thoughts of those who suffer from it, in addition to the loss of interest in activities that previously were pleasurable.

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How does depression affect older adults?

According to the American Psychological Association , the depression in older adults It becomes present when you have the feeling of a loss of control over your life due to vision problems, hearing loss and other physical changes.

The holiday season usually causes depression in older adults , because they add the losses of their loved ones, of their health, lack social networks, support, live situations of dependency or abandonment; besides suffering functional limitations.

The Lic. Cynthia Pereyda Herrera, Counselor in Thanatology at the Dalinde Metabolic Bariatric Center , explains that this type of disorder occurs in the winter.

The decrease in light during the day causes an alteration of two chemical substances in the brain that are melatonin and serotonin, responsible for regulating sleep and alertness cycles, energy, appetite and mood.

How to detect depression in older adults ? Here we share some symptoms:

1. Slowness in thinking.

2. Distraction or forgetting.

3. Decrease in the activities of daily life.

4. Despair, sadness or apathy.

5. Insomnia at night and long periods of sleep during the day.

6. High consumption of sweet foods.

7. Low self-esteem.

8. Suicidal thoughts or associated with death.

Figures of the National Institute of Geriatrics They indicate that 15% of adults over 65 years of age suffer from depressive disorder, which in most cases is not diagnosed or treated properly.

How to help?

It is estimated that 30% to 50% of all older adults will have an episode of depression during the course of their lives. That's why we share some recommendations from Dalinde Metabolic Bariatric Center so you can help them overcome that stage:

1. Do activities. Integrate the elderly into family activities

2. Share with nature. It is advisable to take daily sunbaths for periods of 15 minutes.

3. Be part of the world. If the person is in bed, let sunlight in through the window

4. Activate yourself Increase physical activity with short walks abroad.

5. Sleep hygiene. Take naps of twenty minutes maximum.

Early diagnosis and treatment help to counteract and prevent the emotional consequences of depression in older adults . Take care of them!

Video Medicine: How we celebrate Christmas in France ǀ Justine Leconte (April 2024).