As people approach midlife and get older, they often get depressed more than what we see in other age groups because of several reasons. Some factors in our lives are more likely to trigger depression as we age. Some of these include:
1. Being Alone at Home
The older you get, the older your children also get. What this means is that eventually, they will have to leave your home to go start their own homes and the resulting “empty nest” can often make people feel empty and thus lead to depression.
2. Drinking
A lot of heavy drinkers also have major depression issues. Some people start drinking because they are going through a depressing event e.g. the death of a loved one and this only makes them more depressed and causes them to drink some more.
3. Retirement
Retirement, especially forced retirements, usually lead to depression. This is mostly because the retiree suddenly finds themselves without a routine or job to do making them start to feel depressed and useless. This can be further worsened if they are also going through financial challenges or lack a support system.
4. Health Issues
As we get older, our bodies become more prone to illnesses and diseases like heart disease, stroke and Parkinson’s. Suffering from any of these diseases that come with old age can make you start to feel depressed.
5. Senior Moments
Growing up, we all saw old people get foggy-minded and forgetful as they get older. So when the same starts to happen to us, we may begin to feel angry and depressed. Forgetfulness can be caused by either dementia or depression, especially when suffering from Alzheimer’s.
6. Grief
The loss of any loved one can be painful andcan lead to grieving. While grieving can sometimes be healthy, if care is not taken, it can lead to depression which can be seriously harmful to your health.
7. Poor Sleep Habits
Poor sleep habits paired with sleep disorders like insomnia which happen as we age can cause people to feel depressed. Other sleep disorders like sleep apnea can also result in being unable to get a healthy amount of sleep daily, which then leads to mood problems and then depression.
8. Diabetes
People with diabetes are often very prone to depression because of mood irregularities caused by their unstable blood sugar levels. This constant mood changes can cause you to feel depressed as you get older.
9. Menopause
Menopause and all that comes with it; hot flashes, hormone irregularities etc. can cause you to constantly feel moody and depressed. This can be
further aggravated if you already have a history of depression or are going through PMS.
10. Joint Pain
As we get older, our body and skeleton system gets weaker. As a result, we may develop health issues that cause chronic pain like rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis. The pain and the medicines that are used to treat them can cause you to start to feel depressed especially if you love being active.
