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Senior Citizen Health & Medicine
Senior Citizens and Depression is the Latest Topic
on NIHSeniorHealth
National Institute on Aging, National Library of
Medicine work together to produce special senior-friendly Website
January 16, 2007 - About two million American
senior citizens, those age 65 or older, suffer from major depression, and
another five million suffer from less severe forms of the illness. What
senior citizens can do about depression is the newest section added to
the Website on senior health published by the National Institute on
Aging and the National Library of Medicine.
Important life changes that happen as people age
may cause feelings of uneasiness, stress, and sadness, such as the death
of a loved one, moving from work into retirement, or dealing with a
serious illness. After a period of adjustment, many older adults can
regain their emotional balance, but others do not and may develop
depression.
NIHSeniorHealth (www.NIHSeniorHealth.gov),
which has added depression to its list of health topics is a joint
effort of the NIA and the NLM, which are part of the National Institutes
of Health.
Although depression is common among older adults,
it is not a normal part of aging, says Thomas R. Insel, M.D., director
of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), which developed the
content for the depression topic on NIHSeniorHealth. In fact, studies
show that most older adults feel satisfied with their lives, he adds.
However, when older adults do suffer from
depression, it may be overlooked because they may be less willing to
talk about feelings of sadness or grief.
NIHSeniorHealth is an excellent source of
easy-to-understand information about how to recognize the symptoms of
depression, how it is diagnosed and treatment options, says Dr. Insel.
Older Americans increasingly are turning to the
Internet for health information - 68 percent of wired seniors surf for
health and medical information when they go online.
NIHSeniorHealth, which is based on the latest
research on cognition and aging, features short segments of information
in a variety of formats, including large-print type sizes,
open-captioned videos and even a talking version.
Additional topics coming soon to the site include
clinical trials, nutrition and skin cancer. The site links to
MedlinePlus, NLMs premier, more detailed site for consumer health
information.
Editor's Notes:
The NIA leads the federal effort supporting and
conducting research on aging and the health and well-being of older
people. The NLM, the world's largest library of the health sciences,
creates and sponsors Web-based health information resources for the
public and professionals. The NIMH supports research on mental and
behavioral disorders. All three are components of the NIH in Bethesda,
Maryland.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) The
Nation's Medical Research Agency includes 27 Institutes and Centers
and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic,
clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the
causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For
more information about NIH and its programs, visit
www.nih.gov.
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