Impact of Depression among Ageing Adults

The Indian ageing population is currently the second largest in the world. Projections are being made that India will house 300 million elderly by 2050 and ageing adults will form 19% of the total population. Ageing adult is a period of transition when one has to deal not only with the physical health, but also with the challenges affecting the mental and social wellbeing. Among the various mental disorders, depression accounts for the greatest burden among ageing adults. Depression is the most common psychiatric disorder among ageing adults. Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest also called major depressive disorder, it affects how you feel, think and behave and lead to a variety of emotional problems. The World Health Organization (WHO) has predicted that by 2020 depression will become the third leading cause of disability worldwide. Depression has many symptoms which occurs in ageing adults, these are sad and downcast mood, recurrent thoughts of death or suicide, loss of interest in activities, feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, guilt, or helplessness; feelings of being keyed up or slowed down, avoidance of social interactions, poor concentration and memory and difficulty in starting anything new or making decisions. Studies have reported depression to be more common among females. Other demographic factors that have been associated with depression among ageing adults include being unmarried, divorced or widowed elderly, residing in rural locality, being illiterate, increasing age, lower socioeconomic status and unemployment. Depression has also been shown to be associated with various psychosocial factors, lifestyle and dietary factors, and presence of chronic physical illness.