However, it appears that about one out of four adults over age 65 have symptoms of depression. The person may feel like life is not worth living, or may even contemplate suicide. These symptoms are present most days for at least two weeks. This is treated in the same way as major depression. It often improves with time.
Many physical problems can cause depression.
The treatment for these is first to treat the physical problem, and if the depressive symptoms are still present, treat them like major depression. Normal grief can produce many of the same symptoms as depression. These usually improve over several months. If a person who has suffered a loss continues to have symptoms such as poor appetite, weight loss, and trouble sleeping, they may have developed a depression and could benefit from treatment. Depressed older persons sometimes do not show the same symptoms as younger adults.