Depression Prevalent in Caregivers of Loved Ones with Dementia

When I began caring for my elderly parents (both with early Alzheimer’s not properly diagnosed), I was shocked to read that family caregivers are often more depressed than those they care for. And caregivers who have a chronic illness have a 63% higher death rate than their peers of the same age. A year later, without a day off with my “challenging” elderly father—I was surprised the statistic was that low!

Additionally, caregivers of loved ones suffering with dementia are twice as likely to suffer depression than those providing care for non-dementia patients—and the deeper the dementia, the deeper the depression is likely to be. Since 5.2 million people in the United States are afflicted with Alzheimer’s (just one form of dementia), and 7 out of 10 are cared for at home by family and friends who provide 75-80% of their care—millions of caregivers are suffering from depression or are at great risk of developing it.

OVERWHELMING RESPONSIBILITIES

Depression often occurs when a caregiver gets overwhelmed trying to manage too many responsibilities. Emotions fluctuate from sadness, loss, grief, isolation, anxiety, exhaustion, anger and frustration—and the resulting guilt for having those feelings. Caregivers tend to sacrifice their own careers, neglect healthy family members, ignore their own physical and emotional needs, and postpone their own medical checkups resulting in undiagnosed and sometimes serious ailments.

DENIAL & DESPERATION
Oftentimes family members don’t even consider themselves “caregivers”, thinking they just need to toughen-up and then they will be able to cope with the heart-wrenching situation. And since they’ve always been able to manage stressful situations and solve problems in the past, the perceived failure damages self-esteem and compounds depression. But who wouldn’t be depressed when day-after-day a devoted family caregiver:

·       Watches a loved one suffering and declining.

·       Worries about money and finances.

·       Spends hours and days at doctor appointments and hospitals.

·       Thinks about life and death issues and fears that the end is near.

·       Hates the world and everyone in it for what has befallen their loved one.

·       Wonders how long their caregiving will last and if they will have a normal life again.

·       Feels ashamed for not having enough patience, persistence and strength.

SEEK HELP
Even though the stigma of seeing a healthcare professional for depression is lessening, many still feel it is a sign of weakness and that they will eventually snap out of it on their own. A National Mental Health Association survey found that many people do not seek treatment for depression simply because they feel ashamed and are embarrassed.