Far Too Many Older Women Are Being Unnecessarily Diagnosed With Depression. Its A Huge Problem

One in five middle-aged women in Britain is now depressed, according to a report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

The figure has jumped from 15 per cent of women aged 55 to 64 in the mid-2010s to 21 per cent today. Rates in men of the same age have remained static at about 11 per cent. These ­numbers should concern us all.

But before we rush to pathologise an entire generation of women, we need to ask ourselves a uncomfortable question: are we actually talking about clinical depression?

Or have we become far too quick to ­medicalise the entirely understandable distress that comes with being a woman navigating this particular stage of life?

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I’ve lost count of the number of women I’ve seen in my clinic who arrive clutching a prescription for antidepressants, handed to them after a ten-minute GP appointment, when what they’re really struggling with is the grinding reality of being sandwiched between caring for elderly parents and supporting adult children, all while navigating the physical upheaval of menopause and workplaces that have little patience for women over 50.

Yes, they’re exhausted. Yes, they feel hopeless at times. But is this true depression, or is it what happens when we place impossible demands on women and then offer them a pill when they buckle under the weight?

The confusion begins with how depression presents differently in women.

We’ve long known the textbook symptoms doctors are trained to spot are largely based on how depression manifests in men. Women, particularly with age, often present with what we call atypical features.

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Instead of classic insomnia, they might sleep excessively, retreating to bed because it’s the only place they feel they’re allowed to rest. They might not appear tearful or withdrawn, but instead become irritable, anxious, or complain of being perpetually exhausted in a way that goes beyond ordinary tiredness.

These women are often sent away with reassurances about stress management or, worse, told it’s ‘just their age’.

Then there’s the elephant in the room – the menopause. The overlap between menopausal symptoms and depression is so significant that misdiagnosis is almost inevitable if doctors don’t take a careful history.

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Hot flushes, disrupted sleep, mood swings, difficulty concentrating, loss of interest in activities and hobbies once enjoyed – all symptoms of both conditions.

I’ve written before about how readily we reach for antidepressants when what many women actually need is hormone replacement therapy.

The tragedy is that we’re giving women medication for depression when they’re experiencing a natural biological transition.

But the problem runs deeper than simply mixing up menopause and depression.

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We’ve become remarkably adept at turning social problems into medical diagnoses. Low because you can’t find another job after redundancy at 55? Depression.

Lonely because you’ve spent decades prioritising everyone else’s needs and now find yourself feeling isolated? Depression.

Exhausted from years of unpaid caring responsibilities? Depression.

We’ve forgotten how to distinguish between appropriate emotional responses to genuinely difficult circumstances and a clinical disorder that requires medical intervention.

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This isn’t to play down the impact of genuine depression; a serious, sometimes life-threatening illness.

But there’s a world of difference between a depressive ­episode that needs treatment and entirely rational distress in response to circumstances that need changing.

When we conflate the two, we do both groups a disservice.

We pathologise normal human suffering and, in doing so, we may actually delay real solutions, whether that’s social support, financial help, relationship counselling, or wider social change.

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Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, we’re catastrophically under-diagnosing depression in middle-aged men. They have the highest suicide rates of any group, yet they’re half as likely as women to be identified as depressed.

Men are less likely to present to their GP with emotional symptoms and likely to self-medicate with alcohol and express their distress through irritability and risk-taking rather than sadness.

When they do reach crisis point, it’s often too late.

So what should women do if they’re struggling?

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BE HONESTabout what’s actually wrong. If you’re exhausted, ask yourself why. Is it because you’re doing too much? Because you’re not sleeping well due to night sweats? Because you’ve lost your sense of purpose or identity? The answer matters because the solution will be different in each case.

DON’Tbe fobbed off. If your doctor suggests antidepressants, ask why. Request a thorough assessment that considers hormonal factors, social circumstances and physical health.

REMEMBERfeeling low in response to a difficult situation isn’t a sign that you’re broken, it’s a sign that you’re human.

GETthe diagnosis right. But remember sometimes the problem isn’t in our heads, it’s in how we’ve organised our society. And no amount of antidepressants will fix that.

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Kate’s cancer bond with Jessie J

There was something deeply moving about watching the Princess of Wales and Jessie J embrace at the Royal Variety Performance last week.

Two women, from vastly different worlds, united by something that levels every hierarchy: cancer.

Kate revealed earlier this year she’s in remission from an undisclosed form of cancer. Jessie J underwent a mastectomy in June as part of her treatment for breast cancer.

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As both women have said cancer puts life into perspective and their openness about their experiences has shown cancer isn’t something to be ashamed of or dealt with in silence.

Showing vulnerability isn’t weakness.

That embrace wasn’t just between two individuals. It was a reminder to us all about what connects us – our fragility, our resilience and our capacity to find hope even in the darkest moments.

Six days a year. That’s how much school the average child is now missing because their parents have decided that a duvet day trumps education.

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Apparently, 90 per cent of parents now believe their child’s mental health is important than attending school.

Teaching our children to hide in bed to avoid difficult teachers, friendship fallouts and lessons means we’re failing to teach them resilience.

Dr Max prescribes… Checking in on neighbours

With Arctic temperatures hitting Britain, I’m prescribing something simple: check on your neighbours, especially the elderly or those living alone.

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You don’t need to know their names or have ever spoken before. A ‘Just making sure you’re keeping warm’, takes two minutes.

Curtains still closed at midday? No lights on? Trust your instincts. You might save a life. The awkwardness passes. The difference you make doesn’t.

The solution to things getting tough is not avoidance, it’s learning to face problems rather than avoid them.