Around one in five people in later life experience depression, according to the Mental Health Foundation<\/a> (MHF).<\/p>\n Crucially, more than half of these cases are newly arising, or ‘late onset’, meaning individuals are experiencing depression for the first time in their older years. <\/p>\n Alexa Knight, MHF\u2019s director of England, noted: “More than half of all cases of depression in older adults are newly arising (late onset), meaning the people suffering from it have never experienced depression before.”<\/p>\n \u201cDepression doesn\u2019t discriminate by age,\u201d she says. \u201cWhile its core symptoms remain similar, older adults often face unique challenges like physical health problems, loneliness, bereavement, and retirement, which can trigger depression.\u201d<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Fatigue can be a common sign of depression (Alamy\/PA)<\/p>\n And, in the approach to World Suicide Prevention Day<\/a> (September 10), it\u2019s important to highlight the link between depression and suicide \u2013 the Faculty of Old Age Psychiatry<\/a> of the Royal College of Psychiatrists<\/a> says that among older people who died by suicide, 71-95% had a major psychiatric disorder, with depression being the most common, stressing: \u201cDepressive symptoms are the strongest predictor of suicide in older people.\u201d<\/p>\n Indeed, new research on depression by Bupa<\/a> found 79 per cent of people aged 55 years old and above who are suffering from depression say the condition makes them feel like nothing will get better, with 81 per cent saying depression can be invisible, and 70 per cent stressing they don\u2019t think depression is understood.<\/p>\n And what doesn\u2019t help older people with depression is that the condition can be harder to spot in older age groups, say the experts.<\/p>\n Michelle Hinchley, a Bupa<\/a> specialist mental health nurse, explains: \u201cDepression can affect people of all ages, but in older adults the symptoms may be less obvious.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile typical signs include persistent low mood and loss of interest in activities, older people\u00a0may be more likely to have physical symptoms\u00a0such as fatigue, sleep disturbances and a loss of appetite.\u201d<\/p>\n She says depression in older adults can also occur at the same time as other medical conditions such as diabetes, cancer\u00a0and heart disease, and points out: \u201cIt can make those conditions harder to manage,\u00a0and they can also make depression feel worse.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, depression is more than just feeling unhappy for a short time \u2013 the NHS<\/a> stresses that when you\u2019re depressed you feel persistently sad for weeks or months, and it\u2019s a genuine health condition.<\/p>\n Indeed, 74 per cent of the over 55s questioned by Bupa said it\u2019s not just \u2018feeling sad\u2019, and 81 per cent said it\u2019s not something you can simply snap out of.<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n 81 per cent of respondents said their emotions went beyond \u2018feeling sad\u2019 and it was a feeling they struggled to snap out of<\/p>\n And although depression can be unrecognised or trivialised in any age group, this can be particularly relevant for older people.<\/p>\n![\"Fatigue](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/01150640-d2434555-a46b-4fd3-af7f-1ab95516027d.jpg\")
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