Every one of us feels unhappy, bitter or disappointed from time to time. While such emotions shouldn't be ignored, they don't necessarily mean that you're suffering from depression. It's also easy to confuse certain age-related changes with depression for example, if you're sleeping fewer hours than you used to, this may simply be a normal part of growing older and not a warning sign of depression.

You should seek medical advice if.

• You develop new signs and symptoms that trouble you most of the day, nearly every day, for a period of two weeks or longer.

• You experience significant weight loss not due to dieting, or significant weight gain, i.e, more than 5 percent of your total body weight in a month (if you normally weigh 150 pounds, this means a gain or loss of eight pounds within a month).

• You experience memory loss, confused thinking or difficulty concentrating.

• You experience persistent depressed feelings and physical symptoms after being diagnosed with a serious or chronic illness, or following bereavement.

• You have recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), thoughts of suicide with out a specific plan, or a specific plan for committing suicide.

How Is Depression Diagnosed?

The good news about depression is that for most people, treatment can significantly relieve and even cure your symptoms. But before treatment can start, it's absolutely vital that the problem is properly recognized.

Sometimes people go to their doctor complaining that they feel depressed. In many cases, however, depression is diagnosed after you've sought help for a problem such as insomnia, digestive upset, headache or nervousness.

Your doctor may sometimes want to rule out underlying disease that might be causing these symptoms, so you may be asked to undergo a physical examination, including laboratory analysis of blood and urine. She will review your current medications, question you about your general mood and observe you for clues that may suggest depression slowed speech and gestures, restless motions such as hand wringing or pacing, stooped posture, irritability, a sad or empty expression, tearfulness or an unkempt appearance.

How Is Depression Treated?

Older people who suffer from depression tend to experience more rapid physical and mental deterioration than a younger person with the same illness. That's why depression in an older adult requires prompt and vigorous treatment, usually in the form of medication, psychotherapy, or a combination of medication and psychotherapy.

In some cases your family doctor or a geriatric specialist may be able to treat you for depression. But if your depression is incapacitating, if it doesn't respond to treatment, if it reoccurs or is accompanied by suicidal thoughts, you will probably be referred to a psychiatrist. The best specialist is a geriatric psychiatrist if one is available in your community or a psychiatrist with experience in treating older adults.