Things feel off. The activities that typically bring you joy no longer do. You find yourself mentally checking out. It seems harder to find the motivation to get through your day.
If you told your doctor about those symptoms, in most cases your provider should listen and prescribe the appropriate treatment or medication.
But human biases exist. Research and anecdotes suggest some groups, particularly women and people of color, more often encounter doctors and medical staff who minimize or dismiss their concerns.
You’re being dramatic or hysterical, they might say. Everyone gets sad sometimes.
Oversimplifying or ignoring health concerns can also happen to older people, said Matt Kaeberlein, the director of the Healthy Aging and Longevity Research Institute at the University of Washington.
“So much of what we, the general public and the medical community, accept as a normal part of the aging process can lead to the unwillingness or lack of attempt to actually help people do anything about it,” he said.
That includes depression, anxiety and loneliness that people experience as they get older, he said.
Of course you feel depressed — you’re getting older, a provider might say.
“I think there is this perception that everybody expects to have these changes occur with age, because it’s considered, quote unquote normal,” Kaeberlein said. “And that leads to a lack of effort or willingness to actually try to address those things.”
Have you ever thought your mental health concerns were not taken seriously by health professionals, family members or close friends?
The Seattle Times is interested in hearing from you.
How did the experience make you feel? Did you end up getting the care you felt you needed?
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This article was written with the support of a journalism fellowship from The Gerontological Society of America, The Journalists Network on Generations, and The Silver Century Foundation.
