Depression of the Elderly and it's Impact on the Family.
Depression in society is s subject that must be looked at, as it is a major problem among all age groups. However, it is even more important that depression among the elderly (those above 65) be studied. Reasons for this range as nearly 25% of the elderly are depressed, or have begun to develop depressive symptoms (Soldz, 2003) Also, as the baby boomers begin to grow old, the percentage of those above the age of 65 is increasing steadily. Since 1960, the percentage of those over 65 has nearly doubled in Canada, from 7.6% to approximately 12.2% (Schmid, 2003). Since this is so, nearly 1 million Canadians over the age of 65 are depressed. With this extreme amount of depressive elderly, the impact that they have on those around them is something of an important matter. The impact of depression in the elderly must be looked at in turns of the family and its functions. The depression of the elderly impacts the family through the sexual function, the economic function, which relates to the financial stability of the family, the emotional function and how supportive and stable the family is, and finally the socialization function of the family. .
The impact of depression of the elderly on the sexual function of the family is one that cannot be overlooked as depression deteriorates this part of the family. Some studies show that those elderly who are depressed experience a 50% halt as to their sexual activities (Berman, 2003). By being depressed or having mood swings, there are many things that must be looked at on why and how this affects the sexual function. Firstly, by taking anti-depressants there are many common side-effects on your sexual life (Cartier, 2003). Although these differ from male to female, there are some similarities. First the inability, or delayed ability to reach sexual orgasm. The anti-depressants cause this and this alone devastatingly impacts the sexual functions.
