One out of five cases of depression becomes chronic, and may indeed lead to suicide.
Depression is an illness that affects many older people.
It generally affects physical as well as mental well-being. Fortunately, it's a highly-treatable illness. Complete, or at least partial, improvement can be obtained in 80 to 90 percent of cases. Depression can occur for no obvious reason, or it can occur as a response to adverse life circumstances, such as the loss of a spouse, a job, good health or any other significant thing or relationship. Regrettably, people who suffer from depression are unlikely to realize they are depressed and even more unlikely to seek help for themselves simply because they are depressed.