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February 13, 2012
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Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
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January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
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Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
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Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
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Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
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Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
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Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
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Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
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January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
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Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
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Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
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January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Sept. 17, 2007
/ 5 Tishrei 5768
Depression and aging don't need to go hand in hand
By
Jan L. Warner & Jan Collins
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Q: My mother died early this year at age 83 after a long, chronic illness that also took its toll on Dad. He, for the most part, cared for her at home until he was no longer able. She died only five days after she went to the nursing home. Dad says that she willed herself to die because none of her conditions was considered life-threatening, and he blames himself for her death.
Because my wife and I have been concerned that Dad might do something to himself, we finally prevailed upon him to stay with us for a while. He has now been here for four months, and while he has some good days, they are greatly outnumbered by the bad ones, and we have altered our lifestyle to make sure one of us is with him the majority of the time.
He takes six different medications for various conditions that my wife and I think contribute to his depression, but his doctors insist he needs all of them, and we continue to hear from them that "depression is just part of the aging process." While we understand that family doctors don't have time to deal with the emotional issues that have been apparent to my wife and me, we think that Dad should have been referred to a psychiatrist or psychologist or even hospitalized for a while to try to pinpoint the problem and treat it.
A: Based upon our discussions with several family physicians and our own life experience, we take issue with the mindset that old age necessarily begets depression.
In fact, while statistics tell us that the number of elderly Americans who commit suicide each year is disproportionately high, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, comments such as those made by your father's physicians and shared by too many seniors contribute to lower rates of diagnosis and treatment of mental-health problems.
According to statistics, the risk of depression in elderly Americans heightens when a senior has other illnesses and has limited functionality. In fact, NIMH tells us that up to 75 percent of elderly Americans who die by suicide had seen a physician within a month before death. This leads to the inescapable conclusion that, like other illnesses, depression should be treated when it occurs because, if not treated, there will be delays in recovery and the potential for irreversible outcomes.
According to the physicians with whom we talked, treatment for depression may well involve modification of medication regimens over time, not to mention psychotherapy, through which seniors talk with trained health professionals. Together, medication and therapy may well contribute to effective treatment.
And, depending on how many variables are involved, Medicare will pick up a large part of the bill for treatment of mental-health problems.
Taking the NextStep: You were wise not to sit back and wait for a disaster to happen. The least your family doctor can do is to refer Dad to a competent psychotherapist and review his medications. For more information, go to the National Institute of Mental Health Web site at www.nimh.nih.gov, and visit Medicare's Web site at www.medicare.gov/publications/pubs/pdf/mental.pdf to download their booklet about Medicare and mental health.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JAN L. WARNER received his A.B. and J.D. degrees from the University of South Carolina and earned a Master of Legal Letters (L.L.M.) in Taxation from the Emory University School of Law in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a frequent lecturer at legal education and public information programs throughout the United States. His articles have been published in national and state legal publications. Jan Collins began co-authoring Flying SoloŽ in 1989. She has more than 27 years of experience as a journalist, writer, and editor. To comment or ask a question, please click here.
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