Anxiety | Managing the Silent Giant in Your Senior Years

Anxiety is an emotional condition that can affect most people. Symptoms of anxiety can affect many adults in their later years. In fact, it affects around 10 to 20 percent of seniors, that’s twice as high as dementia and four to eight times greater than depression. It is referred to as a “silent” giant, because it can take hold without being properly identified.

The silent aspect is in reference to the fact that recognition of symptoms and diagnosis are often missed entirely, which can lead to worsening of symptoms and delayed intervention. It’s a “giant,” because of the vast number of people it affects every day. However, with the right help and treatment from a qualified therapist, your symptoms can be alleviated, and you can have a much better quality of life.

The “Silent” Clinical Presentations of Geriatric Anxiety

It is a myth that anxiety does not affect seniors. This is one of the reasons why it is often under-diagnosed and untreated in your age group. In addition, the recognition of the symptoms can be more difficult because anxiety tends to have a different clinical presentation and can be associated with other medical issues or written off as a side effect of medications.

For example, its symptoms can overlap with the side effects of a drug you are taking or with the symptoms of certain age-related medical conditions. It is also common for you and for many people to think that declining physical and cognitive functioning is natural. Thus, you may experience anxiety symptoms as pain, associating it with a medical condition rather than emotional distress. This would then lead to you seeking help from a medical doctor rather than a mental health professional.

Late-life anxiety may be a symptom of an underlying emotional condition, secondary to another medical ailment, medications, or even substance abuse. In many cases, it could be mistaken for something else further delaying proper treatment and intervention.

Anxiety Can Be Incapacitating

Since anxiety can accelerate the decline of your physical and cognitive functioning, it can result in you feeling more dependent on your loved ones. It can restrict your abilities to perform daily tasks that you could once do with ease. It can decrease your compliance to adhere to other treatments, which may cause further health issues.

Late-onset anxiety may also affect your memory, self-esteem, increase tendency toward social withdrawal, and result in a decreased overall quality of life. You could also have an increased risk of depression. According to Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam, “48% of seniors with primary major depressive disorder (MDD) also had a comorbid anxiety disorder, whereas approximately one-fourth of those with anxiety disorders also had MDD (major depressive disorder).”

When anxiety and depression coexist, your symptoms can become more intense. This may also further complicate other conditions, if you have them, such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, or Parkinson’s disease.

Recognizing the Signs of Geriatric Anxiety

Your ability to recognize the symptoms of late-life anxiety is critical to be able to receive an accurate diagnosis and get the proper treatment. Unfortunately, these telltale signs and symptoms aren’t that obvious as they can frequently develop slowly. With the varied symptoms, it can be easy to miss them all together.

According to Beyond Blue, anxiety can manifest itself in behavioral, physical and emotional symptoms. Behavioral symptoms include avoiding certain places, circumstances, or things that trigger anxiety. You may experience urges to carry out rituals to ease the symptoms, not feel self-assured, have poor self-esteem, trouble making decisions, and/or feel easily frightened. The emotional symptoms that usually accompany geriatric anxiety are overwhelm, fear or intense worry, tension, uncontrollable panic, and upsetting thoughts that may manifest in nightmares. Many fears and worries may surround your physical health.

The physical symptoms of anxiety among senior adults can be strong and affect many aspects of daily life. These include racing heartbeat, gastrointestinal problems, dizziness, confusion or disorientation, pain or aches, muscle tension, numbness or tingling sensations, hot or cold flushes, and sleeplessness.

The sooner you recognize symptoms, the sooner you can seek treatment.

Counseling to Treat Senior Anxiety

Anxiety can develop at any stage of your life, don’t let it ruin your golden years. Learning more about symptoms can help you to intervene sooner rather than later. You deserve to feel better. Identifying what is going on for you can help you to find relief sooner.

Carolina Counseling Services – Southern Pines, NC contracts with knowledgeable therapists who know how to treat anxiety. You aren’t alone, therapy can help. It is never too late to learn new ways to cope with anxiety. You can find relief with CCS. Call today to get started.

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