Difference in Depression Patterns among Men and Women in Old Age - Essay Example

?Difference in Depression Patterns among Men and Women in Old Age As old age sets in, one of the most common emotional disorders among people is depression (Blazer, 1980). There are numerous factors such as diseases, loneliness, financial challenges and so on that influence depression. One among these factors is gender as it is seen that rate of depressive symptoms is different in women when compared to men during old age (Romans et al, 2007). If gender is a critical factor that affects the rate of depressive symptoms, then understanding the various reasons due to which depression occurs in older men and women can help in providing assistance and treatment. This study looks at how patterns and symptoms vary among men and women in old age to evaluate whether gender is an important factor related to depression in the elderly. It also explores the various reasons behind the patterns so that better support and treatment can be provided to them based on the reasons. Gender Based Depression Patterns in Old Age Piccinelli and Wilkinson state that the condition of depression is twice as common among women in comparison to men (Piccinelli and Wilkinson, 2000). However, this rate depends upon the age group. The researches done by Heikinnen et al, 2002 and Kivela and Pahkala, 2001 show that the depression rate between men and women of an older group is around 1:1.5 in Nordic countries. However, as the age progressed, the gap narrowed and the ratio becomes 1:1. Many researchers have carried out studies to understand how patterns of depression vary between men and women in old age. Takkinen et al, conducted a research on Gender differences in depression in 2004 in unlike-sex twins belonging to the age group of 70-80 years. The research was carried out based on CES-D (Centre for the Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale), use of anti-depressant medications, medical records and earlier diagnosis. The results showed that women showed a higher frequency of depressive symptoms when compared to their twin brothers. The CES-D provided a questionnaire which had 20 questions related to mood problems and each of the answers were rated on a 0-3 scale which 0 being never and 3 being most of the time. Based on the responses, a higher number of women had a score of more than 16 when compared to their brothers (Takkinen et al, 2004). In the research conducted by Kockler and Heun in 2002 on Gender differences of depressive symptoms in those aged greater than 50, it was seen that women suffered from more symptoms of depression, where as the condition in men was more of lack of appetite or agitation (Kockler and Heun, 2003). Sonnenberg et al (2000) carried out a research to identify sex difference (if any) in late-life depression. Their research was carried out among a sample of 3056 people between the age group of 55-85 years. Based on the research, it was found that the rate of depressive symptoms in women was almost double than that of the men. However, there were no specific symptoms as the pattern of symptoms among men and women were very similar. In the research done by Newman et al, (1991), they found two different type of depression related symptoms in elderly women. The first one was a classical depressive syndrome which was characterized by feelings of guilt where as the second one was a depletion syndrome, which characteristics such as loss of interest or feelings of denervation. However, this phenomenon was not found in men. While it is commonly believed that women have a higher rate of depression as they age, there are certain empirical researches that show otherwise. For example, according to the study done by Ried and Planas in 2002 on depressive symptoms among men and women in old age, it was seen that as women went through the process of ageing, it was noticed that the depressive symptoms increased in women, but the rate of increase was lower when compared to that of men. Also, it was noticed that older men did not report their depressive symptoms as much as older women did (Ried and Planas, 2002). In the research done by Bareful et al, in 2001 on gender differences in depressive symptoms from the age of 50-80 through a longitudinal study, they found out that between the age of 60-80, men showed a higher rate of increase in depressive symptoms when compared to women (Bareful et al, 2001). Therefore, the question of whether who among men and women have a higher rate of depression is still debatable. However, the researchers mentioned above do state that there is a difference in the patterns on how depression occurs in older men and women. While individual circumstances are the main reasons behind depression, many researchers also speculate that collective circumstances that are gender specific also could be the reason (Blazer et al, 1991). Reasons of Depression in Older Men and Women Most medical practitioners and therapists carry out evaluation and treatment of depression on a case-to-case basis, rather than from a collective approach based on gender or age. However, there are certain specific reasons because of which patterns of depression are different among men and women (Rhodes et al, 2002). Identification of these reasons can greatly help the evaluation and treatment of depression in older men and women. It is important to remember that there are certain common reasons for depression between both men and women, such as ailing health, dependency and bereavement. However, apart from that, there are certain exclusive factors specific to men and women which are mentioned below. From a larger perspective, there are many reasons identified for the higher rate of depression among women which include hormonal factors, role in the society, cultural tenets, and specific life events and so on. These factors are applicable even in the old age among women (Nolen-Hoeksema, 2001). One common reason is that in comparison to the older women, older men are married and in most cases, they also have a higher social and economic status. Marital status and financial well being are factors that enhance the well-being (Takkinen et al, 2004). Therefore, this explains the reason as to why the frequency of depressive symptoms is lower among men, when compared to the women. In many societies across the world, women have less social status when compares to men. Hence, the instances of harassment restricted or constrained choices and lack of respect. As age progresses, the trauma of helplessness and ill health also increases. A combination of these factors leads to depression (Nolen-Hoeksema, 1995). Furthermore, it has been noticed that the way in which men and women cope up with a lowering of mood are different. According to Hanninen and Aro, 1996, men often have the tendency to engage in physical activities in order to distract themselves from mood changes, where as females usually 'ruminate and think' over the issue and hence, are not able to cope up with the stress in a better manner, leading to depression (Hanninen and Aro, 1996). For men, the reasons for depression are different to that of women. One of the reasons for depression among the men in older age is associated with retirement (Longino and Lipman, 1981). If they have been the primary bread earners for the families and have led an active lifestyle, old age may indicate being relegated to the background in a society. This can result in loss of self esteem and, eventually, depression. Another common phenomenon seen with elder men is that they tend to hide the depression that they are suffering and hence, do not report it (Thomas et al, 1992). This can be due to the cultural notions related to manhood as they do not want to portray themselves as being weak or frail. Hence, those people who believe in such notions do not share the issue and suffer silently until the condition becomes unmanageable. Most of the research on providing support and treatment for depression to the elderly based on gender specific patterns and symptoms are still in very nascent stages (Dunlop and Mletzko, 2012). As specific patterns and reasons have been identified, it would help in providing support and treatment based on these patterns and reasons. Conclusion This research explored whether gender is an important factor when it comes to depression in adults and identified some common reasons that cause depressive symptoms in men and women of older age. Many researches carried out indicate that women have a higher tendency to show depressive symptoms when compared to men; where as some other studies did not assert this fact. However, overall, it was noticed that there was a difference in the pattern among men and women. The major causes for depression in women included hormonal causes, lack of position in the society, cultural reasons, high level of dependency and restriction; lower socio-economic status and different way of coping with stress. In men, the common reasons include retirement and the lack of activity associated with it and hesitation to acknowledge the initial symptoms. Conducting further research on providing assistance and treatment based on these reasons can prove to be helpful. References Barefoot, J., Lykke-Mortensen, E., Helms, M., Avlund, K., and Schroll, M. (2001). A Longitudinal Study of Gender Differences in Depressive Symptoms From Age 50 to 80. Psychology and Aging, 16(2), 342-345. 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