Depression in Older Women is Often a Hidden Problem

For Release: Feb. 12, 1998

Contact:
Alicia Conroy
(781) 736-4203

Depression in Older Women is Often a Hidden Problem

Waltham, Mass. -- Older women are at greater risk for depression than men or younger women, yet often the condition goes unnoticed or untreated, according to the National Policy and Resource Center on Women and Aging at the Heller Graduate School, Brandeis University. Signs of depression in elder women can be masked by bereavement or chronic health problems, or may be wrongly dismissed as an inevitable part of aging, according to the January 1998 issue of the Center's Women and Aging Letter.

"As they age, women frequently must cope with many losses that can lead to grief and depression," says Phyllis Mutschler, Ph.D., the center's director. "Grief due to such losses is normal, but if depression persists, a woman should seek a physician's care, since depression is a highly treatable disorder."

Women are almost twice as likely as men to develop depression, but the condition in older women is often masked by other problems. Older people often mention memory problems and physical symptoms like sleep disruptions related to depression, rather than emotional symptoms like sadness, says the article's author, Robert N. Butler, M.D., professor of geriatrics at Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York. For those reasons, he says, one-third of all depressed patients seen in primary care settings are not diagnosed or treated. The newsletter contains a simple test to help assess the likelihood of depression. It also lists common symptoms of depression, and provides information on the debate over whether hormonal changes after menopause or women's social status contribute to their increased risk for depression.

The Women & Aging Letter can be ordered for a nominal $5 subscription of 6 issues a year (specify "Depression" issue, if desired) by calling toll-free, 1-800-929-1995. The Center on Women and Aging promotes the security, health and dignity of women in their later years. It collaborates with a broad array of women's and aging organizations to provide national leadership in addressing the problems of women as they age. The center is supported in part by the John A. Hartford Foundation of New York City.

# # #