Vernon said the stigma supposedly associated with depression was one of the reasons its victims did not get help. "Very often, we must rely on physicians, family members or caregivers to sound the alarm," she said.
David Roat, a doctor with Penn's anxiety center, said that depression was more widely recognized nowadays because more people were talking about it. He attributed this to national tragedies such as 9/11, the Enron debacle, and collapse of the stock market.
Vernon agreed but said that depression often still escaped diagnosis.
"Too many of us look upon its symptoms as a normal part of aging. Wrong, wrong, wrong," she said. "Seniors can feel better and be better if they get some help. There is no same in depression."
The American Psychiatric Association defines depression as having at least five of the following symptoms for two weeks or more:
Depressed mood for most of the day or every day.
Loss of pleasure in daily activities.
Significant weight loss or gain.
Change in mobility, either by slowing down or exhibiting nervous gestures.
Feelings of worthlessness, self-reproach or excessive guilt.
Diminished ability to concentrate.
Suicidal thoughts.
The Pennsylvania Department of Aging said more than 80 percent of those suffering from depression recover and return to normal when the illness is properly diagnosed and treated. Although some people recover by themselves, almost all can benefit from drug therapy and assistance from mental-health professionals.
"Everyone experiences feelings of depression from time to time," the department's Web site stated. "Feelings of loss and despair are normal when we lose someone or something we love. But when the feelings last for two or more weeks, depression has possibly taken over and help is needed."
