Anxiety and depression in late adulthood

Could easily provide Anxiety and Depression 6 the fertile ground for suicidal tendencies to develop (McIntosh et .al ,

102 A second issue that could also allow suicidal tendencies to surface in elderly people would be widowhood and social isolation (McIntosh et .al , p104 . As stated before , the elderly are particularly vulnerable when change involves the death of a spouse For these individuals , this type of major life event and loss could mark the beginning of extreme loneliness for them and become a major debilitating issue especially if

close friends are dying also (Conner , 1998 to 2001 It has also been discovered that the onset of depression has raised havoc in other health areas for the elderly . There are a number of ways that depression can affect one 's overall heath status . Depression symptoms have been found to effect the cardiovascular system , especially in men . However , it is thought to have more profound negative effects on those individuals who already have existing cardiovascular disease (Birren Schaie , 2006

.92 . Depression has also been noted to affect the eating habits of the elderly . Resulting in loss of appetite . This can prove to be very risky , due to the fact that an unhealthy weight loss can effect and speed up the individual 's mortality rate Possibly causing an earlier than necessary death In addition anxiety , possibly a prelude to the onset of depression in the elderly has also been found to affect the lives of this group . Increased anxiety can increase blood pressure and heart rates leading to myocardial infarction . This type of emotional distress can also cause the release of platelets , resulting decreased blood flow to the heart furthers promoting the chance for a heart attack to occur Anxiety and Depression 7 With all of the vulnerabilities that face adults as...