Main description:

Clinical depression is a serious medical illness that not only can turn a happy retirement into a time of misery, but also leads to a wide range of health problems. Depression increases the rate of disease such as stroke, heart disease, and Alzheimer's disease and worsens the course of others such as diabetes, chronic lung disease, and cancer. It also contributes to avoidable disability and premature death.

Beat Depression to Stay Healthier and Live Longer alerts readers to this untold story. It challenges beliefs that depression is normal in old age because old age is depressing, instead helping readers see that depression is a serious brain disease, often related to changes in the brain associated with the aging process. Gary S. Moak clearly and compassionately explains depression as a physically destructive state, in which a brain on overdrive runs the body ragged, accelerating age-related wear and tear. Depression is not a harmless condition older adults can live with, and Dr. Moak addresses the impact of depression on specific geriatric health problems. Case stories, taken from the author's experience practicing geriatric psychiatry for thirty years, are used to illustrate the physically and mentally harmful effects of depression and the road to recovering well.

The book is a call to action. It encourages readers to seek treatment for depression, offering hope that older adults can get their lives back before it is too late. It provides practical guidance and advice for patients and family members about working with healthcare professionals to ensure that sufferers receive effective treatment for their depression and appropriate medical care for their physical needs. By shedding light on the impact of depression on physical health, Dr. Moak spotlights the importance of recognizing the signs and symptoms of depression and brings much needed attention to a subject that is so often overlooked.

Contents:

Preface
Introduction: Depression Is A Life And Death Matter: A Tale Of Two Sydneys
PART ONE: DEPRESSION IN LATE LIFE: WHAT IT IS AND WHAT IT IS NOT
Chapter 1: Old Age Is NOT Depressing: Truth and Fiction
Chapter 2: What Causes Depression. It's Not What You Think It Is
Chapter 3: Depression In Other Brain Diseases
Chapter 4: What's In A Name? Why Correct Diagnosis of Depression Matters
PART TWO: DEPRESSION IS BAD FOR YOU - HOW DEPRESSION CAN WRECK YOUR HEALTH AND SHORTEN YOUR LIFE.
Chapter 5: "What You don't Know Won't Hurt You" - Wrong! The More You About Depression the Healthier You Can Be
Chapter 6: When Heartache causes Heart "Ache": Depression and Heart Disease
Chapter 7: Treatment of Depression May Be a Stroke of Luck: Depression and Stroke
Chapter 8: Depression and Diabetes
Chapter 9: Breathe Easier: Depression and Chronic lung disease
Chapter 10: Depression and Chronic Kidney Disease
Chapter 11: Depression and Cancer
Chapter 12: Depression and Arthritis
Chapter 13: Depression and Parkinson's Disease
Chapter 14: Depression and Alzheimer's Disease
Chapter 15: Depression and Pain
Chapter 16: Depression and Falling
PART THREE: HOW TO BEAT DEPRESSION TO STAY HEALTHIER AND LIVE LONGER
Chapter 17: "You Can Lead a Horse to Water...Getting a Reluctant Elder to Accept Treatment.
Chapter 18: You're Never Too Old: Treatments For Depression Work!
Chapter 19: When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade: Antidepressant Medications
Chapter 20: Lifestyle Practices, Herbal Treatments, and Nutritional Supplements
Chapter 21: There is No Magic Pill: Why does Good Treatment Take So Long?
Chapter 22: The Shocking Facts About Shock Treatment
Chapter 23: Getting The Treatment You Need: Being an Educated Consumer
Bibliogaphy