Britain is no country for old men suffering from depression, in need of 'talking therapy,' but offered antidepressants

Apparently, one old man in twenty in Britain is depressed and four in twenty show some symptoms of depression. Unfortunately, according to a paper, which has been published in the British Journal of General Practice, too often their GPs dismiss 'talking therapies' as a way of tackling their depression, partly because there are long waiting times to start treatment.



Evidence shows that even though talking therapies help older people with depression, they are twice as likely as younger people to be treated with antidepressants and those aged over 85 are five times less likely than 55 to 59-year-olds to receive psychological help. In some areas, as few as 3.5% of over-65s are recommended to see a therapist to undergo a course of cognitive behaviour therapy.

Rachael Frost, an academic at University College London and the lead author of the paper said : “There needs to be greater access to talking therapies. They are effective in older populations, but we know that GPs are less likely to refer those in their 80s to psychological therapies for depressive symptoms than those in their 50s and 60s."

The Report makes the point that older men and women may be reluctant to access National Health Service help either because they fear they will be stigmatised, or that nothing can be done about their condition anyway. In addition, GPs often use their appointments to discuss the old person’s physical health, rather than their mental wellbeing and some fail to act on cues suggesting that over-65s want to talk about how they are feeling.

Caroline Abrahams, the Charity Director of Age UK, said : “These figures once again show that older people are missing out on talking therapies and other effective treatments for mental health conditions, with medication too often being the prescribed approach. Depression and anxiety affects nearly three million people over 60, and older people mustn’t miss out on help and treatment because either they aren’t offered it or don’t know where to go for help. Talking therapies can benefit everyone, regardless of age.”