Mood disorders in the elderly
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25118/2763-9037.2011.v1.869Keywords:
depression, elderly, diagnosis, clinical diseases, bipolar disorderAbstract
The human brain undergoes degenerative changes during normal aging, with diffuse loss of mass and neurons, which results in changes in the concentration and activity of neurotransmitters. Despite these changes, most elderly people are satisfied with their lives and have no psychological predisposition to develop mood disorders. However, faced with the vicissitudes of aging, some elderly people may present with major depression, bipolar mood disorder, cyclothymia, dysthymia or simply present “clinically significant depressive symptoms”, and it is important to differentiate between early-onset and late-onset conditions, in addition to determining the presence of organic causes or complications. It is known that this illness is due to a psychological predisposition, but also to an association of symptoms with clinical diseases, chronic use of medications and psychosocial stressors, situations that are more frequent in this population when compared to young adults. Depression rates in elderly patients, for example, range from 3.5% to 7.0% and represent a public health problem, given its impact on patients' health and worsening quality of life. This article aims to describe the clinical characteristics of mood disorders in elderly patients, aiming to promote early diagnosis, highlighting the main differences in relation to young adults, whether in the quality or intensity of symptoms, and guiding health professionals who care for this patient population.
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