‘Anti-depressants may not work in older adults’
Anti-depressants may not work properly in older adults suffering from high blood pressure and high blood sugar levels, according to a study.
Older adults who have a major depressive disorder (MDD, also known as depression) are at higher risk for having problems thinking and making decisions.
They are more likely to have trouble performing their regular daily activities and managing their personal care. The conditions are generally treated by taking medications, reported Medical Daily.
However, metabolic syndrome or a mix of conditions like increased blood pressure, high blood sugar levels, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels, could make older adults’ body more resistant to anti-depressant treatments said researchers led by Ginger E. Nicol from Washington University in St. Louis.
Read more: Awareness on mental health stressed
Between 2015 and 2050, the proportion of the world’s population over 60 years will nearly double, from 12 percent to 22 percent, according to the World Health Organisation.
The most common mental and neurological disorders in this age group are dementia and depression, which affect approximately five percent and seven percent of the world’s older population, respectively.
Anxiety disorders affect 3.8 percent of the older population.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 16h, 2021.