“An estimated 2 million older people in the UK suffer from depression as well as worsening memory, but are often ignored due to the current focus and fear around dementia and Alzheimer’s. More than 8 out of 10 older people with depression go untreated, says the Royal College of Psychiatry, and consequently the incidence of suicide is alarmingly high.
Part of the problem, says Tom Gentry, policy adviser at Age UK, is expectations "We’re stuck in this mindset that it’s a normal stage of life to be disengaging with the world and starting to close up,” he said. The other issue is that the very nature of feeling down and unmotivated, coupled with less clarity of thought, makes it harder for a person to take positive action “
”Having a raised homocysteine level is a strong predictor of depression"