The rate of those of us having mental issues involving anxiety seems to decline a bit as we advance in age. On the other hand, if we have depression, it can be harder to treat in seniors. So say two recent studies.
The first study compared people of all age groups to see which group had more anxiety disorders, and then focused on older age groups (55-64 years, 65-74 years, 75-84 years and 85 years and up) and compared them over a 12-month period.
The results showed that, yes, there was an overall decline in mood disorders as the participants aged. Women had more disorders than men, however. Even though there is a decline in mood disorders, anxiety remains very common, especially in women.
Right on the heels of this study was another concerning depression in later life. Researchers claimed that depression in seniors is harder to treat, but at least they now have a clue as to why: Those with depression “don’t respond normally to emotional stimuli,” such as faces that are neutral, happy or sad.
Participants (both healthy and depressed seniors) were first asked to look at pictures of other people and rate them only by physical features.
The result was that seniors without depression took longer to rate the physical features, likely because happy or sad expressions on the faces affected them and delayed a response.
Participants were then asked to rate the expression on the faces in the photos.
Seniors with depression weren’t distracted at all by any expression. It didn’t matter if it was a happy, neutral or sad face. Additionally—and this is key—depressed seniors had a harder time identifying which emotion was being expressed in the photo.
This is apparently the first seniors-centered study that looked at depression from this angle. I can envision new treatments using this facial emotion recognition, perhaps paired with counseling to augment the drugs that are typically given.
Matilda Charles regrets that she cannot personally answer reader questions, but will incorporate them into her column whenever possible. Write to her in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475, or send e-mail to columnreply@gmail.com.
by Matilda Charles
(c) 2010 King Features Synd., Inc.
