Older Adults with Depression More Likely to have Diabetes

Seniors must be careful. It has been found out in studies that older adults with depression are more likely to develop diabetes than those who have no depression. The longer the depression has been staying, the bigger the possibility.

Some older people who have experienced depression are most likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Along with depression comes trouble in sleeping and irritability. According to studies, about two million adults have experienced depression, 15.3 percent of those more than 65 have diabetes.

What studies have found

On 24 April 2007, older people who have symptoms and signs of depression – even if those symptoms occur only once, have great possibilities to develop diabetes than those who have not. However, there are few exemptions. The majority of the studies have defined symptoms and signs of depression based on a single study filled out by participants. Diabetes likely occurs when the symptoms and signs of depression or when depression has been present for a longer time.

The older the person and the longer the depression has been staying are very dangerous signs that forerun diabetes.

It is far better to have not suffered depression at all. Older adults, senior citizens and the baby boomers (who already have aged these days), should be extra careful on the depression-diabetes combination, as it is destructive.

Some ways to avoid depression

Depression is something that needs to be avoided not just for older adults or senior citizens but for everyone as well. We can avoid depression by offering goodwill to others or make others happy (because we cannot be happy by making others miserable), controlling our thoughts to be directed to the positive ones only, keeping busy, avoiding feelings of guilt, living a balanced life, not basing our happiness to other people and sharing problems to others.