ÿþ<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> <html><head> <title>Mental Health America: Newspaper Articles: Finding Good Mental Health Today</title> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <script type="text/javascript" src="assets/util-functions.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="assets/clear-default-text.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript"> <!-- Begin var how_many_photos = 15; var now = new Date() var sec = now.getSeconds() var photo = sec % how_many_photos; photo +=1; if (photo==1) { photo="images/mhajc1.jpg"; width="184"; height="126"; } if (photo==2) { photo="images/mhajc2.jpg"; width="184"; height="126"; } if (photo==3) { photo="images/mhajc3.jpg"; width="184"; height="126"; } if (photo==4) { photo="images/mhajc4.jpg"; width="184"; height="126"; } if (photo==5) { photo="images/mhajc5.jpg"; width="184"; height="126"; } if (photo==6) { photo="images/mhajc6.jpg"; width="184"; height="126"; } if (photo==7) { photo="images/mhajc7.jpg"; width="184"; height="126"; } if (photo==8) { photo="images/mhajc8.jpg"; width="184"; height="126"; } if (photo==9) { photo="images/mhajc9.jpg"; width="184"; height="126"; } if (photo==10) { photo="images/mhajc10.jpg"; width="184"; height="126"; } if (photo==11) { photo="images/mhajc11.jpg"; width="184"; height="126"; } if (photo==12) { photo="images/mhajc12.jpg"; width="184"; height="126"; } if (photo==13) { photo="images/mhajc13.jpg"; width="184"; height="126"; } if (photo==14) { photo="images/mhajc14.jpg"; width="184"; height="126"; } if (photo==15) { photo="images/mhajc15.jpg"; width="184"; height="126"; } // End --> </script> <link href="style_tables.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="favicon.ico"> </head> <body bgcolor="#6699CC"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="968"> <tr> <td><img src="images/spacer.gif" width="253" height="1" border="0" alt=""></td> <td><img src="images/spacer.gif" width="715" height="1" border="0" alt=""></td> <td><img src="images/spacer.gif" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt=""></td> </tr> <tr> <td id="topLeft" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" valign="top"><img src="images/spacer.gif" alt="spacer" width="250" height="20"><br> <a href="default.html"><img src="images/mhajc_logo.png" alt="Mental Health America" width="245" height="100" border="0" align="right"></a> <form action="http://www.google.com/cse" id="cse-search-box"> <div> <input type="hidden" name="cx" value="017305987766365927869:o8wjbqt2hco" /> <input type="hidden" name="ie" value="UTF-8" /> <input type="text" name="q" size="20" class="cleardefault" alt="search" /> <input type="submit" name="sa" id="sa" value="Search" /> </div> </form> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.google.com/coop/cse/brand?form=cse-search-box&lang=en"></script> </td> <td id="topRight" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> <SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript" type="text/javascript">document.write('<img src=\"' + photo + '\" width=') document.write(width + ' height=' + height + ' alt=person id=peopleImage' );</SCRIPT> </td> <td><img src="images/spacer.gif" width="1" height="160" border="0" alt=""></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" bgcolor="#005596"> <img src="images/leftSky2.jpg" alt="sky" width="253" height="115"> <ul class="menu2"> <li> <h1><a href="Information.html">Information</a></h1> </li> <li> <h1><a href="Action.html">Action</a></h1> </li> <li> <h1><a href="Help.html">Help</a></h1> </li> </ul> <font color="#FF9933" size="5" face="Arial"><strong>&nbsp; In Crisis?</strong></font><br> <font color="#FFFFFF" size="4" face="Helvetica">&nbsp; 24 Hour Crisis <br>&nbsp; & Suicide Hotline<br> &nbsp; (317) 251-7575 or <br>&nbsp; (800) 273-TALK</font><h4> </td> <td valign="top" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> <div id="menu"> <ul> <li><a href="About_Us.html">About Us</a></li> <li><a href="Programs.html">Programs</a></li> <li><a href="Fundraisers.html">Fundraisers</a></li> <li><a href="Get_Involved.html">Get Involved</a></li> <li><a href="Newsletters.html">Newsletters</a></li> </ul> </div> <div id="content"> <div id="tell_friend_print"> <p><a href="javascript:window.print()"><img src="images/icons/print.gif" alt="Print Version" border="0"></a>&nbsp;<a href="javascript:ts('body',1)"><img src="images/bigger-text.gif" alt="Increase Font Size" width="19" height="15" border="0"></a>&nbsp;<a href="javascript:ts('body',-1)"><img src="images/smaller-text.gif" alt="Decrease Text Size" width="19" height="15" border="0"></a></p> </div> <!--breadcrumb--> <div id="breadcrumb"> <p><a href="default.html">Home</a> > <a href="Programs.html">Programs</a> > <a href="News_Articles.html">Newspaper Articles</a> > Depression Takes Heavy Toll on the Elderly </div> <div id="bodytext"> <!--start page content--> <table width="90%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="10"> <tr> <td> <h1>Depression Takes Heavy Toll on the Elderly</h1> <br> <br> Depression is a serious, potentially fatal medical illness. While it is widespread, it is not a normal part of the aging process. There are strong connections between depression and other illnesses that affect the elderly, such as Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, coronary artery disease, and diabetes. Whether it occurs after a heart attack or a stroke, and it is common after both, depression amplifies disability and hastens an early death. <br> <br> Depression can make other illnesses harder to treat, and recovery is often more prolonged and difficult. Treating these illnesses without also treating an accompanying depression misses an important, sometimes life saving, clinical step. Untreated depression kills no less surely than a heart attack or stoke. Only a small percentage of the elderly are treated for their depression. <br> <br> Statistics reinforce just how prevalent depression is among older people. According to the Nation Institute of Mental Health, approximately 2 million Americans over the age of 65, have a diagnosable depressive illness. Research shows that the rate of suicide among the elderly, especially men, is double that of the general population. The elderly and those who care for and about them should watch for the signs of depression, educate themselves about the illness and discuss signs and symptoms with the patient's primary care physician. <br> <br> Symptoms of depression include: prolonged sadness or unexplained crying spells, significant changes in appetite or sleep patterns, feelings of irritability, anger, worry, agitation, anxiety, pessimism or indifference, loss of energy, persistent tiredness, feelings of guilt or worthlessness, inability to concentrate and indecisiveness, inability to take pleasure in former interests, social withdrawal, unexplained aches and pains, and recurring thoughts of death or suicide. <br> <br> With proper diagnosis and treatment, quality of life can significantly improve. In addition to medical treatment and talk therapy, there are lifestyle changes that can lead to more productive lives. You can find more information about depression and other mental illnesses at our website: www.mentalhealthamericajc.net. <p><p> <br><font type="Veranda" size="4" color="FF9933">Contact Us</font> <br> <br><font type="Veranta" size="3">Laura Stahl <br>P.O. Box 51 <br>Seymour, IN 47274 <br>Phone: (812) 522-3480 <br>Fax: (812) 524-8176 <br>E-mail: mhajc@cabjackson.org</font> <br></p> </td> </tr> </table> <!--end page content--> </div> </td> <td><img src="images/spacer.gif" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt=""></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center" valign="bottom" bgcolor="#005596">&nbsp;</td> <td valign="top" bgcolor="#FBB033"> <div id="footer"> <p align="center"><a href="Contact_Us.html">Contact Us</a> | <a href="SiteMap.html">Site Map</a> </p> <p align="center">© 2009 Mental Health America | formerly known as the Mental Health Association</p> <p> </div> </td> <td>&nbsp;</td> </tr> </table> </body> </html>