- With Mayo Clinic psychiatrist
Gabrielle J. Melin, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Gabrielle J. Melin, M.D.
Gabrielle J. Melin, M.D.
Dr. Gabrielle Melin, board certified in general psychiatry and psychosomatic medicine, is looking for ways to empower patients and families dealing with chronic mental illness. She encourages patients to commit to working together with their physicians and health care teams.
Dr. Melin completed medical school at the University of Minnesota. She completed both her psychiatry residency and consultation-liaison fellowship at Mayo Clinic before joining the Mayo Clinic staff in 2001. She is medical director of Mayo Clinic Psychiatry Emergency Services in Rochester, Minn. She has special interests in emergency psychiatry, adult psychiatry and addiction psychiatry.
"Instilling hope is one of the most important things we can do for patients and families. Mental illness can be chronic and significantly impacts lives. Our goal is to provide the best treatment and education so that patients can manage their symptoms more effectively," she said.
Latest entries
- Being grateful: Giving thanks helps with depression
Nov. 18, 2009
- Depression and diet: Make healthy choices
Oct. 27, 2009
- Depression and heart disease: Get the facts
Oct. 21, 2009
- Depression and pregnancy: What you need to know
Oct. 8, 2009
- Treating depression helps productivity
Sept. 30, 2009
Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Depression blog
-
Sept. 16, 2008
Depression and aging: Make sure to seek treatment
By Gabrielle J. Melin, M.D.
| Need more help? |
|
Many of you think depression is a normal part of the aging process, but it is not. As with depression at any age, it is important to accurately diagnose and treat depression. Depression is treatable, and this is true in those 65 and older as well. Psychotherapy and/or medications may be used.
Older Americans are at higher risk for committing suicide than any other age group. The U.S. national suicide rate is about 11/100,000 persons. Males 85 and older have the highest suicide rate and it is 5 times the overall rate or 55/100,000 persons.
Symptoms are the same as in other age populations and can include:
- depressed mood (may include irritability)
- feeling guilty or worthless
- poor energy, feeling fatigued or tired
- poor concentration or focus (short-term memory problems that are not dementia)
- not enjoying things as one usually does
- isolating oneself form others, withdrawing
- feeling as if one is a burden or is not loved or cared about
- irritability, restlessness, nervousness
- changes in sleep patterns, may sleep more or less
- changes in appetite, may eat more or less
- persistent headaches, upset stomach or chronic pain
There are not medications recommended specifically for the elderly to treat depression. A medication choice will be based on other medications the patient is taking, patient preference, other medical illnesses and past medication trials, if any. Possible side effects can be used to one's advantage.
An example would be taking a sedating medication at bedtime when insomnia is a symptom of the depression. If poor appetite and weight loss are a part of the depression, a medication that may stimulate the appetite could be used.
If you are older and suspect you're depressed, see a health care provider. And if you know someone who is elderly and suspect they may have depression, encourage the person to see their health care provider.
Please share your experiences with us.
22 comments posted