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Down But Not Out

Depression is the most common mental health problem in later life. Of the third of older people with depression who discuss it with their GP, only half are diagnosed and receive treatment. This means that only about 15 per cent of all older people with clinical depression receive treatment. 850,000 out of 1 million people don’t.

Depression is an illness that blights the lives of many older people. It is not “one of those things”. It is not “what you can expect at your age”. It is not an inevitable part of ageing.

It is an illness that can be treated: if older people seek help, are diagnosed, and receive appropriate treatment.
The scandal is that for many older people this doesn’t happen. Many do not seek help. For those who do, ageist attitudes among health professionals can prevent diagnosis. And for the lucky ones who are diagnosed, access to the full range of treatments may be denied because of their age.

Older people with depression deserve better.
Ignoring the problem is not an option: if not identified and treated, depression ruins people’s quality of life, increases the risk of other illnesses, and can even lead to suicide.

What we want
"Mental illness is still stigmatised whether you are young or old but older people have a double whammy!"
Age Concern is calling for immediate action: the problem of depression in later life must become a priority for the NHS.
We are proposing a three-point plan to improve the lives of older people with depression:
Point 1:
Encourage older people with depression to seek help.
Point 2:
Ensure older people with depression are correctly diagnosed.
Point 3:
Ensure older people with depression get the treatment they need.

What we are doing
Age Concern England has launched a major, national campaign to raise awareness of the obstacles that can lead to older people with depression being denied effective treatment.
Age Concern will be pushing the Government and the NHS to remove the ageist barriers that prevent older people with depression from receiving effective treatment.
We will also be working in partnership with GPs and other health professionals to raise awareness of the prevalence of depression in older people and to challenge the ageist attitudes that prevent diagnosis.

Later this year, Age Concern will launch a public awareness campaign aimed at older people with depression and their families. The campaign will aim to encourage more older people to overcome their reluctance and to seek treatment for their depression.

Get involved
If you are concerned about the number of older people with depression who are undiagnosed, untreated and at risk, make sure your voice is heard by becoming involved in our campaign. The more people who join us, the more chance we have to make sure that people are treated with dignity and respect, and receive the support they need.

There are a number of ways you can get involved:
• Tell your local Primary Care Trust about your concerns for older people with depression
• Ask your MP to make sure that older people with depression locally receive effective treatment.
• Tell your friends about the campaign: the more people who support our campaign, the more positive impact we will have on the lives of older people with depression.
We would also be grateful to hear from you directly.
• Share your experiences. Have you or your relative had a positive or negative experience of being diagnosed and treated for depression? Then we would like to hear from you. Contact Helen Davison at Age Concern Sheffield and speak in confidence about your experience. Telephone 0114 2502850 or email helen.davison@ageconcernsheffield.org.uk

Helen Davison
01/10/2008