IRISH PEOPLE LIVING LONGER BUT WITH MORE TIME SPENT SUFFERING PAIN AND DEPRESSION
Irish people are living longer, but more of that time is spent suffering pain and depression.
A global study published in the Lancet medical journal has found anxiety disorders, migraine and hearing loss are some of the conditions people are living with in later years.
Others include neck or back pain and asthma, while depression is the leading cause of years lost to disability in Ireland.
GP Dr Sinead Byrne says there are a number of reasons why people are prone to depression in later life.
“One in four people will need an anti-depressant in their lifetime and that generally happens when you get older” she said.
“And it’s because maybe somebody’s diagnosed with a chronic disease like diabetes, or they realise that their knees aren’t working as well as they used to and they have to have surgery – and maybe then they have to sit tight in a chair for a couple of weeks and months”.
“And all those factors lead to depression” she added.
