Can you tell the difference between grief vs depression? Grief is a universal experience, but few people experience these situations more than the elderly. According to an article in BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care, about 10% of senior adults deal with prolonged grief.
If you’re focusing on mental health, Lawton, OK, is an excellent place to keep your mind and body healthy. Whether you’re here to visit the many Comanche heritage sites, the beautiful nature of Elmer Thomas Lake, or our rich history, you’ll find the clouds over your head evaporating.
If you’re curious about grief vs. depression and how it relates to mental health and aging, we’re here to help. Read on to learn more about senior emotional wellness and providing emotional support.
What Is Depression?
To start, what is depression? It’s prudent for us to outline not just one, but both of our conditions so that we can examine them fully. That way, we can completely understand how senior emotional wellness is impacted by grief vs. depression.
Depression is actually a blanket term for several different conditions. These conditions are all summarized as depression due to having similar — and at times, identical — symptoms and results. Some types of depression include:
- Persistent Depression
- Seasonal Depression
- Major Depression
Depression is also often mixed up with anxiety disorders. That’s because anxiety is a common symptom of depression, as well as conditions that have other similar symptoms.
Another important factor is that depression doesn’t need to have a triggering experience. Depression is often passed heritarily, and can result regardless of heritage through different means.
Symptoms of Depression
Before we dive in, it’s important to note that different individuals can experience symptoms of depression differently. That becomes especially true if we mix in the side effects of common medications, such as SSRIs.
While everyone’s experience with depression is unique, regardless of their age bracket, there are some symptoms that are similar enough to consider ubiquitous symptoms. We’ve included those here, but please do not take this as an exhaustive list! If you feel depressed but lack these symptoms, that doesn’t mean you aren’t depressed; speak to your doctor immediately.
Feelings of Exhaustion or Disinterest
These are arguably the most common symptoms. Fatigue in general is an exceptionally taxing symptom.
That’s especially the case for seniors. Many seniors already struggle with feeling energized enough. According to Nature.com, as many as 42.6% of seniors experience physical fatigue, while the number rises to 58.2% for mental fatigue.
Reduced Appetite or Shifts in Weight
Depression can often cause reduced appetite, which will further exacerbate other issues. If you’re struggling with energy levels, not eating will only worsen the problem, for example.
Depression can also cause rapid weight gain. However, this symptom is shared with countless conditions. Don’t assume you’ve developed depression just because you’ve put on a few pounds in your retirement!
If you’re struggling with appetite, quality food may be the issue. Here at Morada Lawton, we’re proud to offer a stellar, wholesome dining menu.
Anxiety and Restlessness
Anxiety disorders are often confused with depression due to their similar symptoms. It’s also a case where many sufferers of one condition also suffer from the other. According to KFF, about one in four older adults experiences one or the other.
Anxiety often accompanies depression and grief alike. If you’re experiencing anxiety, don’t assume it’s the result of depression.
Unexplained Physical Ailments
One of the hardest to spot depression symptoms is inexplicable physical pain. If you wake up with a sudden headache, a sore back, or aching muscles, depression may be the cause.
At Morada Lawton, we’re proud to offer health and well-being initiatives. If you’re concerned about your physical shape, these initiatives are a great place to start.
Still, the obvious red flag is that this is a nearly universal experience. What adult hasn’t woken up to mysterious aches? Such an experience becomes even more common in our golden years, making this symptom worryingly easy to overlook.
What Is Grief?
With a better understanding of depression, we can look into grief. Grief is somewhat simpler in that it isn’t as difficult to find a source for, but anyone who’s experienced grief will tell you it’s anything but simple.
Grief is an incredibly personal process and condition. While there are many similarities that different sufferers can share, understand that your journey is a personal and heartfelt experience to navigate.
What Causes Grief?
Grief is caused primarily by the loss of a cherished person. That person may be a friend, a loved one, or a family member. According to Medical News Today, grief can often be the cause of depression.
You do not need to have had a close connection with someone to experience grief. Many people experience grief when an idol, such as a famous artist or beloved writer, passes away. Others may experience no grief after losing a family member.
The personal side comes from your connection with the individual. The emotional impact of loss will rely heavily on how tied you were to the person who has passed.
Grief Symptoms
Grief symptoms are remarkably similar to depression symptoms, which is one of the reasons both are mixed up. Coping with loss is one of the main challenges of grief, while it can also impact depression.
Identifying senior depression is often a tricky process due to these ties. Grief can cause depression, but depression cannot cause grief. That’s because grief is an emotional response to loss, whereas depression is a condition in and of itself.
Grief vs. Depression
How does one manage grief vs. depression? In short, grief is an emotional response to the loss of an important individual. Grief can often cause depression, which is a prolonged condition of extreme sadness with various, often personal symptoms.
At Morada Lawton, we’re proud to offer a top-tier assisted living community. We focus on providing a caring, vibrant community, so much so that we’re excited to welcome your pets into our community! Schedule a tour today to see how we can help you improve your golden years.
