Depression Information Added to NIHSeniorHealth Web Site

Depression may be common among older adults, but it's not part of the normal aging process. To help older individuals understand the difference between depression and the emotional changes that often come with aging, NIH's National Institute on Aging and the National Library of Medicine, which jointly developed the NIHSeniorHealth Web site, recently added a section on depression to the site.

For busy family physicians, guiding older patients to this new section of the NIH seniors site may serve as a springboard for discussions on a topic that's often difficult for patients to talk about. Patients in the midst of life changes such as adjusting from work to retirement, losing a loved one, or dealing with serious illness or lack of independence and mobility, in particular, may benefit from the depression section of the NIHSeniorHealth site.

The section consists of six easily digested, illustrated chapters that cover

NIHSeniorHealth.gov is designed to be senior-friendly and includes such features as adjustable text size, a high-contrast text option and audible speech function.