Poor health, waning strength, and the deaths of friends and loved ones increase the risk of depression among the elderly. It can also be difficult to diagnose depression in seniors as symptoms of depression may be misdiagnosed as senility, or dementia, or even mistaken for the everyday problems of ageing. For example, some symptoms that are typical of senility like memory loss, confused thinking and apathy, are also typical symptoms of depression. On the other hand, symptoms like early awakening and reduced appetite, which are also typical symptoms of depression, are normal traits of ageing.
Strokes are another complicating factor.
Symptoms of depression among the elderly, such as slowed speech and slowed movement, can also be mistaken for a stroke. Furthermore, some drugs often taken by older people can cause depression as a side-effect. So can a poor diet, often a problem when elderly people live alone. Depression may also be hard to diagnose in this group because older people rarely admit to feeling depressed. Instead, they often blame depressive symptoms on a physical ailment.