Congressional Corner from Senator Larry Craig: Older Americans and Depression

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Congressional Corner from Senator Larry Craig: Older Americans and Depression—Help Is Available

By Senator Larry Craig, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging

According to TREA Senior Citizens League’s web site, there are over 1,300,000 active members/supporters of the League—of which men comprise 55 percent of the membership. Of those, approximately three-quarters of the membership are between the ages of 76 and 85. Nearly all are over the age of 60. As Chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, my message is directed to each of you. It's about depression and suicide.

Recently my committee held a hearing about that issue. The comments and data were sobering. And the reality is, we need to talk about both because there is help and there is hope—but both require action.
Senior citizens have the highest suicide rate of all age groups in the United States—four times the national average. If you have depression, if you're feeling blue, or you just don't feel right, I encourage you to be open and up-front with your doctor. Tell your physician you need help. There is medication available that can help you feel much better. But the doctor needs to know what you need, so be very honest. According to some sources, 75 percent of elderly suicide victims met with their doctors within one month of their suicide—and were not treated or referred to treatment for depression.

For those born when it was inappropriate to talk about feelings, I know this can be tough. But the reality is that depression is often times a physical condition that can be treated with medication—just like heart disease and other physical ailments. But again you have to be very honest with your doctor.

Researchers have found that depression affects twice as many women as men. But those findings are under some questioning since new findings reveal that women and men may talk differently—or in the case of men, not talk—about the issues they face. And with men, not talking counts since men are four times more likely to commit suicide than women. To help stop that trend, this past April the National Institute of Mental Health launched a public awareness campaign about depression in men called “Real Men. Real Depression.”

It is a very important program and if you need help, whether you are a man or a woman, I encourage you to call their toll-free number which is 1-866-227-6464 or, if you have access to e-mail, you can send them a note at mailto:menanddepression@mail.nih.gov.

Studies indicate that 85 percent of people who died of suicide told someone what they were going to do starting two months before the act. If someone says something to you about wanting to take their life, take them seriously. That's the only way we can truly help reverse this tragic trend.

November 2003