Over 100,000 elderly Norwegians struggle with anxiety and depression. About half of them have not been bothered by this earlier in life.
Life changes when you get older, can trigger a depression, Professor of Medicine Knut Engedal says VG news. His field of expertise is geriatric psychiatry .
– Old age is a phase in which many people experience loss of health and loss of the ability to take care of yourself. You can prepare yourself for losing your job, I do not think that’s the main reason why the elderly are depressed. But it’s hard to experience the loss of a spouse, and even harder to lose your children. It is also hard to experience the loss of social networks and if your health is failing you also lose the ability to help yourself, saying Engedal.
Men over 85 are the largest group in the suicide statistics. In that age group, suicide risk is five times higher for men than for women.
– There are different ideas and theories on why older men taking their own lives. The general opinion is that it is because of depression and incurable chronic somatic disorders, Engedal says.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
