Depression and Anxiety at an older age

@parus. Something triggers these unwanted mood changes. Our mind might revert back to depression and anxiety because it's been use to doing just that. But a lot of us, when we feel sad think we are depressed.
PTSD might not last a lifetime. I don't know. I think that after we work through the "incident" that is the major contributor to PTSD I don't need it anymore as a defense mechanism.
What do you think?

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@colleenyoung
Hello Colleen,
I believe your post may have been initiated by my post to chinchuck.
I understand you have an obligation to protect Mayo Clinic and the integrity of Connect and I believe you do a suburb job. Okay here it comes, However, I’d like to mention a couple of things.
You state “Never disregard professional medical advice,” I vehemently disagree with that statement. First, medical professionals are not infallible, not even at the Mayo Clinic. If I didn’t disregard professional medical advice I’d be dead as would my Dad and numerous other people I know, me from the amount of Barbiturates I was told to take, My Dad from a brain tumor which 3 or 4 doctors said he didn’t have.
I believe you should always question medical advice and disregard what you have reason to believe may not be accurate or dangerous. I feel that medical errors being the third leading cause of death in the United States, I believe adds credence to my assertion.
Apparently I don’t understand when something is considered medical advice verses knowledge, common sense, suggestions, recommendations etc etc. I give individuals credit to know we are not professionals. Perhaps in your capacity your not afforded the same.
Hopefully you can expand you thoughts on the guidelines.
All help appreciated,
Jake

Been wondering how much PTSD plays into the depression/anxiety scenario. At times I do well and without an obvious reason I start to spiral down. I do wonder.

@parus I think that PTSD does indeed have an effect on depression and anxiety. I think that it is an individual thing. I think that living with PTSD can induce depression or magnify it. Sometimes working past something is so difficult and that itself is tends to depression or anxiety because it's simply a lot of work! Sometimes we have spent so long PTSD and living with it, it's really hard to just get out of the way and say we're done with it and don't want it around, because it has become such a part of our life. To tell it to go away maybe like telling a friend to go away somebody you become comfortable with and that can be depressing.
Ginger

@merpreb Seems I have several triggers. Likely there are some I am not even aware of on a conscious level. I don’t like the way I feel at times. Seems I have more anger that I don’t have reason for. It is uncomfortable. Fortunately I do not feel this volatile all the time. Getting in touch with those feelings isn’t pleasant. I am the only one that can deal with them. Remember the good, forget the bad is not something that works for me. I don’t dwell on the negative. It just has a way of interfering if this makes sense.

@colleenyoung
Hello Colleen,
I believe your post may have been initiated by my post to chinchuck.
I understand you have an obligation to protect Mayo Clinic and the integrity of Connect and I believe you do a suburb job. Okay here it comes, However, I’d like to mention a couple of things.
You state “Never disregard professional medical advice,” I vehemently disagree with that statement. First, medical professionals are not infallible, not even at the Mayo Clinic. If I didn’t disregard professional medical advice I’d be dead as would my Dad and numerous other people I know, me from the amount of Barbiturates I was told to take, My Dad from a brain tumor which 3 or 4 doctors said he didn’t have.
I believe you should always question medical advice and disregard what you have reason to believe may not be accurate or dangerous. I feel that medical errors being the third leading cause of death in the United States, I believe adds credence to my assertion.
Apparently I don’t understand when something is considered medical advice verses knowledge, common sense, suggestions, recommendations etc etc. I give individuals credit to know we are not professionals. Perhaps in your capacity your not afforded the same.
Hopefully you can expand you thoughts on the guidelines.
All help appreciated,
Jake

Good morning Parus- You make perfect sense! I had to look more at your question of PTSD and depression (I threw in anxiety too, just because). I think that there is never just one trigger, that would be too easy! I call these bothersome, unexplained uncomfortable feelings "free floating anxieties". The world is a tough one without the world being topsy turvy - but it is right now. I also find that our country has become dangerous and that makes me very anxious. I am not allowed to be political, so please forgive me for not going further with this. After all that you've been through Parus I'm not at all surprised that you have volatile moments, and they must be miserable feelings, ones we don't want to face continuously. But sometimes we have to because they need to run their course. I think that forgetting the past is criminal because it makes us what we are today. And to be honest, I really don't think that anyone can.You have grown so much in just the short time that I have come to know you. You know, sometimes things are not right and it's ok to be angry at them. I'm not talking about screaming or punching someone but showing that they have done you wrong! Why not? You are human and have feelings. I think that it's wrong sometimes to just walk away when your integrity is being questioned like your two neighbors did to you.
I like this: https://www.anxietycanada.com/adults/ptsd