What Do You Know About Depression?

Depression is a treatable mental illness marked by a prolonged feeling of sadness, along with symptoms such as irritability, feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness, insomnia, overeating, loss of appetite, diminished interest in activities that used to be pleasurable and difficulty concentrating.

“There are a lot of people who think depression is a normal part of aging, and it is not,” says Erin Emery-Tiburcio, a psychologist who specializes in helping older people at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. 

In a 2023 Gallup poll, almost 25 percent of people 18 to 29 said they had or were being treated for depression. The rate drops for each age group, down to about 12 percent for people 65 and older.

People with anhedonia feel numb and disinterested in things that they once enjoyed. It is a common symptom of depression.

Grief is not depression, though loss is a big life stressor, and stressful life events can trigger depression, especially in people who’ve experienced depression in the past.