According to the World Health Organization, mental health is “a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.”
What is Depression?
It is alright to feel low on energy, sad, uninspired, or moody from time to time, but when a person starts experiencing these feeling for a long stretch of time (weeks, months, or sometimes even years) without any apparent reason, it can sign toward depression.
Depression is more than a passing phase of low mood. It is a serious condition that has a strong impact on your mental and physical health.
Depression Symptoms
- Feeling empty or lost
- Sadness that lasts more than two weeks
- Memory loss
- Waking up early
- Chronic nonspecific pain
- Inability to sleep
- Feeling worthless and helpless
- Extreme fatigue
- Losing interest in normal activities
- Crying without a reason
- Thoughts of suicide
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is more than just a stressful feeling. While it is common to feel stress and anxiety under pressure, stress passes away when the stressor is removed but anxiety remains behind.
Anxiety is a feeling of fear, apprehension, dread, or worry which happen without any particular reason or cause. It is a serious mental health condition which makes it difficult to cope up with everyday life. While everyone feels anxious at some point of time or the other, but for some people, these feelings are not easily controlled.
Approximately 40 million people in America suffer from anxiety every year.
Symptoms of Anxiety
- Staying awake
- Shakiness or trembling
- Dizziness
- Sweating
- Worrying too much about things
- Irritability
- Feeling of impending down
- Inability to reach a decision
- Abdominal pain
- Lack of appetite
- Difficulty in concentrating
Risk Factors Associated with Depression and Anxiety
Anxiety and depression in seniors are linked to several important risk factors. Some of them are:
- Stressful life events
- Sleep disturbance
- An overall feeling of poor health
- Physical limitations in everyday work
- Excessive worrying about a physical health condition
- Substance abuse
- People with a hormonal imbalance
- People suffering from multiple illnesses
- The side effect of a medicine
Why Should You Be Concerned About Anxiety or Depression?
- Stressful life events
- Sleep disturbance
- An overall feeling of poor health
- Physical limitations in everyday work
- Excessive worrying about a physical health condition
- Substance abuse
- People with a hormonal imbalance
- People suffering from multiple illnesses
- The side effect of a medicine
Why Should You Be Concerned About Anxiety or Depression?
For seniors, depression, and anxiety often go hand-in-hand. Both can be debilitating and reduce the quality of life. However, it is important to seek advice from a medical professional to get the right treatment for your problem. Anxiety is linked with memory as it can interfere with it and contribute to amnesia or flashbacks of a traumatic event.
If it is not possible to visit a doctor, get the doctor at home. Utah Doctors At Home offer its patients access to high-quality medical care services in the comfort of their home. Get in touch with experienced professionals to know more about admission details.
Stages of Recovery
Recovery from anxiety and depression vary from individual to individual. However, there are some common emotions that a person may experience during the recovery process.
Shock – A person is in a state of shock to deal with something he has no prior experience in.
Denial – The person denies accepting that he is facing some mental health issue, which people find difficult to understand.
Anger – He is angry at having to deal with the difficulties accompanying the problem.
Acceptance – Finally, he chooses to accept the problem and look for ways to get treated.
Coping – The patient copes with his problem by finding ways to tackle the new challenges.
The most important thing for seniors suffering from anxiety or depression is to get the right treatment and support. If it is difficult to visit a doctor, get in touch with Utah Doctors at Home as they provide their patients with comprehensive medical care from the comfort of their home.
Call 385-247-0050 to know about admission details.
