Depression in old age.

“You don’t count your age, you make your age count” – Unknown.

The above saying is quite true, but rarely seen put into practice. Most old people instead of enjoying their present prefer spending it worrying and fretting over their past and future! Couple this with the deaths of near and dear ones, loss of an active social life, a feeling of isolation as near and dear ones get busy with their own lives and old age depression is imminent.

Is depression natural in old age?
Depression is not natural in old age even though it is common in adults above 65 years of age. Most often, environmental factors such as the death of near ones and isolation, along with physical factors such as a chronic illness or certain painful conditions tend to induce depression in old people.

Depression during old age is more likely to affect women than men. People above 65, who have a medical history of heart problems, stroke, joint ailments and chronically painful medical conditions, face a higher risk of suffering from depression during their old age. Even those who have a history of drug and alcohol abuse are more prone to depression than other non- addicts.
But can depression be harmful in old age?
Depression can be harmful during any age, but more so during the old age, as it is coupled with isolation and lack of social activity. More over depression can also lead to various mental and physical problems if ignored in old people, which in most cases goes unnoticed as dementia. And since depression has a direct link to suicide it is a major concern, be it in old people or teenagers.

How can one identify the symptoms of depression in old people?

Symptoms of depression in old people, as mentioned earlier can be easily missed due to doctors and family members confusing them with other age related problems, however following is a list of symptoms that you should keep your eye out for, if your parent or any other old person in your house has been behaving a little differently than their regular selves.

• Gloominess
• Loss of interest in social interaction and hobbies, if any
• Loss of appetite and resultant weight loss
• Alcohol or prescription drugs abuse
• Disturbances in sleep patterns, like sleeping through the day and staying awake at night, sleeping for unusually long hours, staying awake for long hours at a stretch
• Lack of interest in various other things such as personal hygiene and self-medication
• Forgetfulness
• Suicidal thoughts
• Often feeling anxious and nervous

How to prevent depression and ensure a happy senior citizen?

Depression is a treatable condition, and can be treated with the help of medications and therapy. However some prescription medications to tend to cause depression, so be sure to consult your doctor before administering the medicines.

Following are a few ways in which you can help prevent or get an old person out of depression:
Schedule regular social activities for them: The first thing that depression does to any person is that, it robs them of their self worth and esteem. This directly results in a reduction in that individual’s social interaction, and as man is a social animal, a reduction in social interaction leads to isolation and depression.

To counter this, you need to schedule social activities for them, mostly with people belonging to their age group. Activities such as attending Prayer meets, laughter groups, daily morning walks, family functions etc can ensure that their social interactions stay intact and they don’t feel unwanted or useless.

A proper Diet is a must: Having a proper diet can help in preventing depression. Most times depression is caused in old age due to chronic illnesses and medicines taken to counter these diseases and conditions. Having a well-balanced and nutritional diet will ensure that they get their required nutrition, their body’s immune system will be strengthened and they will have fewer ailments and lesser medications too.

Ensure that they complete their treatment: Depression in the elderly which is being treated with the help of medicines needs to be followed up i.e. you need to ensure that medicines are being taken on time and the doctor’s orders are being followed by them to ensure a speedy and healthy recovery.

Get them a furry friend: Pets are good way to combat depression, as has been proven in many studies on the same. A pet will not only give them constant company but will also take their mind off their negative thoughts, furthering a positive feeling in them, thereby reducing their depression considerably!

Get them to Exercise: A sedentary lifestyle not only promotes an unhealthy body but also an unhealthy mind. As one ages the body becomes more and more stiff and due to the weakening of the immune system, it falls prey to various diseases. An hour of light exercises in old age is enough to take care of niggles such as stiff joints and mobility, plus it also promotes a sense of well-being and helps them to socialize in the process, if they are going to a gym.

And as Maurice Chevalier says, “Old age isn't so bad when you consider the alternative”. Don’t let the elderly lose their golden years to depression; help them enjoy their old age.

Ways to reduce exam stress in children?

When exam season comes children get busy preparing for their subjects, stress and anxiety levels are at their peak points. Exam stress in children is usually caused by certain imaginary fears and often the lack of confidence. A child who is not well prepared has all the reasons to get stressed. However, exams are a cause of stress even for the best prepared ones. Now a day’s parents too feel exam stress along with their children. Here are some ways which will help you in coping exam stress in your child.

Causes of Exam Stress in Children

• Worry: Most of the children always get stressed because they worry about their subjects. "How to prepare for all subjects in such less time?", this thought bother them always.

• Performance anxiety: It’s a reason for stress for almost all children, as parents pressurize them to get full marks every time and write good paper without leaving any questions.

• To Prove Themselves: Some children are constantly forced to get the top grade. Another reason for children to be stressed is when parents expect young one to be like their elder sibling if he is a good scorer.

• Negative Thoughts: Before exams approaches, most of children's minds are filled with all negative thoughts. They often feel that they won’t be able to give their best even if they are prepared.

Examination stress is a universal phenomenon which is not only common in students but their parents too. Parents today want their children to have successful careers and comfortable lives. They tend to put so much pressure on their children that he/she cannot give their best even if they try hard to.

Parents Pressurize Kids For

• Parents tend to compare their child with others and always nag them to be like them.

• Children study hard under pressure to get things like games, computer etc.

• To maintain reputation in social circle, there are some parents who fall in the social trap of making their kids achievement a showcase.

• Intense competition: Every parent wants their child to be the best. Increasing competition drives parents to pressurize their children to always do the best.

For well being of their child’s future, parents become very passionate about their exam. Most of the parents struggled hard to reach where they are and hence they always want their children to be best in putting efforts during exams. They forget to realize that every person is born with some special skills and talent; they make whole examination as big issue.
Ways to Coping with Exam Stress in Children
Coping with exam stress is very important for child’s mental health. Once they understand the way to handle it they won’t be stressed and worried about it. Down are the ways to cope up with exam stress in your child.

• Start Early
Children often get more stressed when there preparation are not done properly. Make sure your child doesn’t start studying all subjects at the last moment. This is surely not going to help but confuse him and make him less confident. Explain them how studying before hand is going to help them to gain confidence and perform better in exams. Cultivate the habit to study everyday apart from doing the regular homework.

• Help to Schedule

Help your child to schedule his studies. You can prepare a time table chart and put it up in his room or near the study table. This will make him feel relaxed and not overloaded. He can study each subject according to chart.

• Don’t pressurize
Try and avoid pressurizing your child. Putting more pressure is going to hamper his efforts of studying. All the efforts which your child is taking can go in vain if you force him unnecessarily. He will study for the sake of studying but may not be able to answer all questions in the paper during writing exam. Also, don’t threaten him to get full marks, as it is going to scare him more.

• Sit With Them
Sit next to him and enquire about his studies. Ask them if they he/she any doubts or difficulties which you can help him to understand. Make him feel that everything is going to be fine and he doesn't have to worry about examinations. Some children are weak in certain subject who needs attention; make sure you dedicate time for it and solve their difficulties.

• Be Supportive and Encouraging
Exam period can be stressful for your child. If your child is a poor scorer, don’t shout and get frustrated by the way he is studying. Being supportive and encouraging is very necessary on behalf of parents. Shouting, getting angry is only going to make situation worse, he might not be able to concentrate and lose confidence. Some children fall sick during examination period. Such children need to be treated with good care. If he doesn’t overcome exam fear, you can take him to child counselor.

• Motivation
Explain your child benefits of having good marks and also how they can be useful in their future. Explain him its alright if they score badly but instill the confidence in them that they can always work hard to achieve the best. Motivation is the best tool for handling exam stress.

• Create a Healthy Environment
The environment in which your child studies makes a lot of difference. Make sure you maintain the sound of television while he/she is studying. Don’t allow siblings to go near the child, as they can create distraction. Make sure that his room has enough bright light. You can keep a bottle of water in his room as this will save his time and will help to maintain his concentration.

• Breaks
Make sure your child takes enough breaks in middle. Studying at stretch can be really boring and strenuous. Taking breaks will make him fresh and be focused when he starts studying again.

• Good Food
Give them energy boosting food during exams period. Include eggs, vegetables and lot of fruits and dry fruits.

• Relax
Teach your child to relax and stay calm. You can allow him to go out for half an hour or allow him to watch his favorite serial. You can also teach them to mediate for few minutes as it helps in improving concentration.

• Sleep
Make sure your child gets good sleep. Remember that it is their stressful time, if they don’t get enough sleep they might be cranky and moody. A child must at least for 8 to 10 hours so that he will feel fresh and relaxed.

Exam stress can be handled efficiently by parents with positive attitude. Not all children are the same and hence everyone cannot be at the top. Every parent has to understand their own child, by being supportive and encouraging you can make children feel that examinations are not dreadful. Remember if your child is not good at academics, he may be good at sports, music, arts etc. Encourage them in things which interests them, Sachin Tendulkar, AR Rahman were not good at studies and look where they are today!!