{"id":25416,"date":"2021-01-15T12:41:47","date_gmt":"2021-01-15T17:41:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbhids2021.wpengine.com\/?p=25416"},"modified":"2021-03-25T16:38:55","modified_gmt":"2021-03-25T20:38:55","slug":"behavioral-health-at-any-age-no-one-needs-to-struggle-alone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthymindsphilly.org\/dev\/blog\/behavioral-health-at-any-age-no-one-needs-to-struggle-alone\/","title":{"rendered":"Behavioral Health at Any Age: No One Needs to Struggle Alone"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many areas of behavioral health can be something of a mystery to the general public. Myths and misconceptions about mental health and substance use are often significant obstacles to looking out for the well-being of ourselves and our loved ones. Talking about suicide does\u00a0NOT <\/strong>plant the idea in someone\u2019s head. Many mental health conditions are preventable. Depression is\u00a0NOT <\/strong>a normal part of aging.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s focus on that last one. It\u2019s worth repeating; experiencing feelings of depression is not a given as we grow older.<\/em> However, behavioral health problems like depression often go undiagnosed in older adults.<\/p>\n

Older adults as well as their loved ones and even their healthcare providers sometimes dismiss symptoms of depression as \u201cnormal\u201d signs of frailty \u2013 inevitably, our bodies grow physically weaker as we age. However, the\u00a0National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)<\/a>notes that many equivocate symptoms of depression with the physical weaknesses of aging, leading them to ignore these indicators of a potential mental health issue.<\/p>\n

Others believe that feelings of depression are just the natural result of changes in life that typically happen to older adults. Major life events more common to older adults \u2013 such as retirement, the death of a loved one, or moving out of the family home \u2013 can be stressors that impact our behavioral health.<\/p>\n

Facing the loss of someone or something important to us, we all feel sadness at times, but such episodes need not necessarily lead to depression. In fact, \u201cmany older adults will eventually adjust to the changes. But some people will have more trouble adjusting,\u201d says the\u00a0U.S. National Library of Medicine<\/a>. Being unable to grieve and move on to prior feelings after a loss may be a sign of depression \u2013 in individuals of any age.<\/p>\n

So What IS Different About Depression in Older Adults?<\/strong><\/p>\n