Live Longer Better
  • Your journey
    • More About the Optimal Ageing Programme >
      • About Muir Gray
      • Muir Gray's publications
    • Coping with Lockdown
    • Using the right words right; ageing, fitness, disease and beliefs >
      • Bad language about older people
    • The Lockdown Wellbeing Programme >
      • The Daily Mail series
    • the Daily Dozen + 30 for 4S fitness
    • What is happening as we live longer >
      • Your monthly briefing
    • LLL for LLB
    • The environment is tough >
      • Retirement has benefits and risks >
        • Join the Challenge Hub
      • Some people got a better start than others
      • the impact of isolation is now recognised
      • The physical environment is the cause of many problems blamed on ageing
      • Poverty affects too many older people
    • the Living Longer Better Programme >
      • what would a good life in your late 80s be likel
      • What do you fear most and want to avoid
      • Start to write your Living Longer Better Plan
      • Think positive
    • How to reduce your risk of a bad death
    • My diary & daily routine
    • My health record
    • My housing
    • Othercare - Supporting someone else
    • About the OxAP >
      • Muir Gray's Bookshop >
        • The Antidote To Ageing
        • Midlife
        • Sod60!
        • Sod70!
        • Get Moving
        • Eatwell!
        • Dr Gray's Walking Cure
      • Here is the news
  • Get physically better
    • Increase strength, stamina, suppleness and skill >
      • Strength
      • Stamina
      • Skill
      • Suppleness
      • Work hard
      • Brisk walking >
        • Virtual Walking
        • Restart Sport >
          • Restart swimming
          • Restart tennis
          • Restart football
          • Restart cycling
          • Virtual Cycling
      • If you have difficulty walking briskly
      • Join a Gym or Wellness Hub >
        • Meet others for fitness >
          • Silver sneakers
          • Age UK Generation games
          • Join a Gym, Fitness Centre or Wellness Hub
          • Find a personal trainer
      • Find a Trainer
    • Reduce your risk of disease >
      • Eat Well
      • Stop smoking
      • Increase activity - physical, cognitive and emotional
      • Watch the alcohol
      • Accept the offers from the NHS screening programmes
      • We need a revolution
    • Look after your body >
      • Happy and Positive Birthday >
        • Sod 60!
        • Sod70!
        • Sod It! Eat Well
        • Sod Sittin, Get Moving!
      • Skin maintenance
      • Teeth and gum maintenance
      • Feet maintenance
      • Bone, joint and muscle maintenance
      • Bowel maintenance
      • Brain maintenance
      • Mind maintenance
      • Heart maintenance
      • Lung maintenance
      • Waterworks maintenance for men
      • Waterworks maintenance for women
      • See as clearly as possible
      • Keep your Hearing as acute as possible
    • If disease occurs - Optimise Your Healthcare >
      • Living with a common condition >
        • Arthritis
        • Cancer
        • COPD _ Bronchitis
        • Diabetes
        • Dementia
        • Heart disease
        • Parkinson's Disease
        • Stroke
      • Making a big decision >
        • Should i have a hip replacement ?
      • Consequences of common conditions >
        • Loss of status
        • Disability and handicap
        • Isolation
        • Depression
        • Frailty
      • Look out for social as well as drug prescribing >
        • Enjoy Activity Therapy
      • What you can do to help the NHS even more
  • Think better
    • Train your brain ; we now know the brain can get fitter at any age
    • Understanding Dementia & Alzheimer's Disease
    • Reduce your risk of dementia >
      • Stimulate your brain more every year >
        • Learning new skills and build on your assets
        • Get even more engaged
      • Protect your brain >
        • Sleep better
        • Get more active
        • Avoid over medication
        • Control stress levels
        • Air pollution and dementia
      • Keep the oxygen flowing
    • Combat depression
  • Feel better
    • Stay engaged and don't lose your sense of purpose
    • Feel even better by helping other people even more
    • Meet others like you
    • Optimise the Internet >
      • My Virtual Reality
    • Join others for a Daily Service
    • Feel better by visiting Great Places >
      • Visit the great Museums
      • Visit the great libraries
      • Visit a National Trust treasure
    • Feel better through music >
      • Join a concert party
      • Your virtual choir
      • Music for Moving
    • Feel better by reading, listening and watching with other people >
      • Kindling Book Club >
        • Crime
        • Classics
        • Health
      • Audible Book Club
      • Your BBC
      • Your Film Club
    • Feel better by learning new skills and ideas
    • Feel better by joining a club to play games and meet others >
      • Chess Club
      • Bingo club
      • Bridge Club
    • Feel better by supporting nature >
      • Visit the great gardens
    • Feeling Better by Going Down Memory Lane >
      • Sporting memories are powerful
  • Understand better
    • Ageing is a normal biological process
    • From 40 to 90 loss of fitness is serious
    • The effects of disease are often compounded by loss of fitness
    • Negative beliefs and attitudes have a huge impact
    • The importance of planning with purpose
    • The Ageing Brain and the Maturing Mind
    • Strength and Power can always be increased
    • Skill and co-ordination can be improved at any age
    • Stamina can be improved by brisk walking
    • Suppleness can always be improved and stiffness always reduced
    • Activity Therapy is of vital importance

Depression is a common problem but is both preventable and treatable

​ 
DEPRESSION
 
What is depression
Everyone feels low from time to time, but the term depression should describe the condition in which people are permanently depressed to a degree such that  they not only have problems in that they feel depressed but the depression interferes with their ability to work, or interact with people or look after themselves. There is a particular type of depression called bi-polar disorder in which the depression alternates with moods of high activity and excitement.  This is a disorder of young people which usually gets less severe the longer they live.
 
What is depression important?
Depression is important because it is one of the main factors affecting quality of life in old age.  There are obvious reasons why depression is common, death of a spouse for instance or poverty and isolation, but it should not be regarded as an inevitable part to living longer.  Depression is also one of the  factors that increase the risk of  dementia.
 
Why is it important to understand depression?
It is important to understand depression because action can be taken bothto prevent it  and alleviate it..
 
Can depression be slowed, reduced or reversed?
Firstly the priority is to prevent depression and although a person’s resilience and  ability to cope with adverse events is determined early in life, because it is clear that some people are more resilient than others ,  it is still possible to reduce the risk of depression, principally by treating any disease that occurs effectively, by preventing isolation and providing support in bereavement
Once depression has started it can be reduced or reversed by a combination of actions taken by the individual, and, perhaps more important, actions taken by friends and family and , when depression is severe, by interventions from the NHS.
 
What can be done?
The most important thing that individuals and their families can do is to help people feel engaged and involved, preferably with a sense of purpose. 
All of these issues become more difficult if the person is physically immobile and unable to get out or suffering from a painful condition, so optimising physical ability is vitally important in preventing, reducing or reversing depression.
What is becoming clear, and it is very well described in Camilla Cavendish’s book called “Extra Time”, is the need for a sense of purpose.  It is the sense of purpose that keeps many younger people from being depressed and  loss of the purpose, sometimes after retirement, sometimes after disability that causes depression in the later decades.  It may seem impossible for someone who is housebound to have a sense of purpose for survival but by linking the person to campaigns and social movements such as Friends of the Earth or the World Wildlife Fund it encourages them to be involved by contributing to that movement, for example by raising money can play an important part in preventing depression. Obviously this means that the individual has to be online and it is important to know that although there are no randomised controlled trials virtual reality appears to be important giving people enjoyment and there are moves to have groups of people who are housebound competing with other groups raising money for a good cause which would again reduce the risk of depression.
The NHS has an important part to play not only by the effective treatment of the causes of isolation and immobility but there are treatments for depression.  As always drug treatment is to be avoided if possible so it may be that what is called cognitive therapy is the first step offered by a clinical psychologist.
Although it is sometimes said that people who talk about suicide are not the ones who do it any mention of suicide or ‘ending it all is an indication for urgent referral to the GP
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Proudly powered by Weebly