Hello Szeto,
While the term ?Retirement Syndrome? does exist and is used,
(primarily in retired military folks) I can find no evidence that the
kind of depression following retirement is an actual diagnostic term.
Retirement Syndrome is certainly loosely used, much in the way people
speak of Sundowner?s Syndrome in Alzheimer patients, about
post-retirement depression symptoms.
It seems the expression ?Retirement Syndrome? was coined byRobert
Lifton. ?In his profound essay - Imagining the Real: Beyond the
Nuclear ?End?, describes the phenomenon, which he calls the retirement
syndrome. He mentions that Admiral Rickover - the father of Americans
nuclear Navy - when he was forced to retire at age of eighty-one, made
a confessional statement: ?I think, we?ll probably destroy ourselves
and added, ?I?m not proud of the part I played?. The author concludes:
?One has to assume psychologically that the man-weapons constellation
is so pervasive while a person is in office, the pattern of nuclearism
is so dominant, that the world is seen through a prism of nuclear
weapons and therefore nuclear weapons-centered policies are
promulgated. At the moment of retirement, however, a person can take a
step back and, prodded by conscience, voice doubts that were
previously suppressed.?
?For a doctor or mental health professional to be able to make a
diagnosis, the condition must be defined in DSM-IV or its
international equivalent, the World Health Organization's ICD-10.?
http://www.bullyonline.org/stress/ptsd.htm
?Retirement syndrome? may fall under ?Adjustment Disorders?,
according to the German Institute of Medical Documentation and
Information.
?Adjustment disorders States of subjective distress and emotional
disturbance, usually interfering with social functioning and
performance, arising in the period of adaptation to a significant life
change or a stressful life event. The stressor may have affected the
integrity of an individual's social network (bereavement, separation
experiences) or the wider system of social supports and values
(migration, refugee status), or represented a major developmental
transition or crisis (going to school, becoming a parent, failure to
attain a cherished personal goal, retirement).
Individual predisposition or vulnerability plays an important role in
the risk of occurrence and the shaping of the manifestations of
adjustment disorders, but it is nevertheless assumed that the
condition would not have arisen without the stressor. The
manifestations vary and include depressed mood, anxiety or worry (or
mixture of these), a feeling of inability to cope, plan ahead, or
continue in the present situation, as well as some degree of
disability in 9the performance of daily routine. Conduct disorders may
be an associated feature, particularly in adolescents. The predominant
feature may be a brief or prolonged depressive reaction, or a
disturbance of other emotions and conduct.?
http://www.dimdi.de/static/en/klassi/diagnosen/icd10/htmlengl2003/fr-icd.htm?gf40.htm+
The Retirement Syndrome: The Psychology of Letting Go
This 28 page document in not copyable; please see the article for
information on the syndromw named precisely as you indicated!
http://ged.insead.edu/fichiersti/inseadwp2...003/2003-37.pdf
Retirement is a great stressor, and can lead to depression. ?There
are many reasons why you might feel depressed. You may undergo major
life changes such as divorce, separation, loss of a job, retirement or
moving town. Or you may feel unhappy about your marital situation or
fear physical and mental problems of old age.?
http://www.visioform.com/infothek/dealing-with-depression.htm
From AARP ?Schlossberg recalls one retired couple to make her
point. After 35 years, the couple sold their dry-cleaning business,
through which they had been a vital part of their community, according
to Schlossberg. The wife immediately assumed a new role as
grandparent, replacing her relationship with customers with those of
her family. Since she could no longer sew for her customers, she began
sewing for her grandchildren.
Meanwhile, the husband grew increasingly depressed, having lost his
identity and customers to interact with. After much resistance, his
son, remembering his father's love of baseball, got him to sign up for
a senior baseball team. Soon everything turned around. The man became
happy and engaged. He had a new identity, new relationships, and new
involvement.
Depression is not uncommon when people retire, and stress can lead
to depression. People who have health or marital problems, experienced
previous bouts of depression, or have a greater sense of hopelessness
and pessimism are at greater risk of becoming depressed when they
retire. Trying to identify the underlying causes of depression, as
well as developing a more positive attitude toward transitioning, can
help relieve it, according to Deitch.?
http://www.aarp.org/health/staying_healthy...ring-happy.html
?Leaving work, for any reason, can be stressful. Recent research
has shown that up to 1 in 7 men who become unemployed will develop a
depressive illness in the next 6 months.
After relationship difficulties, unemployment is the thing most
likely to push a man into a serious depression ? work is often the
main source of a man?s sense of worth and self-esteem. You may lose
the signs of your success, such as the company car. You may have to
adjust to being at home, looking after children, while your wife or
partner becomes the bread-winner.
From a position of being in control, you may face a future over
which you have little, especially if it takes a long time to find
another job.
You are more likely to become depressed if you are shy, if you
don?t have a close relationship or if you don?t manage to find another
job. Depression itself can make it harder to get another job.
Even retiring from work at the usual age can be difficult for many
men, especially if your partner continues to work. It can be hard to
adjust to losing the structure of your day and your contact with
colleagues. Gay men and depression
On the whole, gay men do not suffer from depression any more than
straight men. However, it seems that gay teenagers and young adults
are more likely to become depressed, possibly due to the stresses
associated with coming out.?
http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinformation/mentalhealthproblems/depression/mendepression.aspx
?A study by Cornell University psychologists has found that
retirement can spark marital discord and depression.
Jungmeen Kim and Phyllis Moen, who studied 534 married men and women
between the ages of 50 and 74, found that men who retired while their
wives were still working showed a higher level of marital stress then
newly retired men whose wives did not work.
The happiest men were the ones who found another job and whose wives
were not working.
"Those who are retired and reemployed report the highest morale and
lowest depression," said Kim.
Men who stay retired fare worst in terms of depression and low morale.
Women also at risk - Among women, starting retirement posed a risk of
depression, especially if their husbands were still working - but
getting another job did not help.?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/health/429286.stm
?Subjects who retired early at 55 and who were still alive at 65
had a significantly higher mortality than those who retired at 65
(hazard ratio 1.37, 95% confidence interval 1.09 to 1.73). Mortality
was also significantly higher for subjects in the first 10 years after
retirement at 55 compared with those who continued working (1.89, 1.58
to 2.27). After adjustment, mortality was similar between those who
retired at 60 and those who retired at 65 (1.06, 0.92 to 1.22).
Mortality did not differ for the first five years after retirement at
60 compared with continuing work at 60 (1.04, 0.82 to 1.31).
Conclusions Retiring early at 55 or 60 was not associated with better
survival than retiring at 65 in a cohort of past employees of the
petrochemical industry. Mortality was higher in employees who retired
at 55 than in those who continued working.?
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/331/7523/995
Here is a nice slide show with data on retirement and depression.
http://www.share-project.org/new_sites/seh/dewey.pdf
?"Retired husband syndrome" is one of the leading causes of divorce
among older couples in Japan. The symptoms include irritability,
ulcers, rashes, and the recurring urge to toss one's husband out the
window.
Japanese doctors first described the syndrome when wives started
showing symptoms of stress after being forced to deal with their
recently retired husbands who demanded absolute subservience. The
divorce rates among couples married for 20 years more than doubled
between 1985 and 2000 in Japan.?
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/AmericanFamily/s...tory?id=1491039
?A 14-item self-report scale, Self-perceived Stress in Retirement
Scale, was developed from retirees' lists of factors which caused them
stress in everyday living, and then administered to 348 men and 385
women who had been retired from between six months to over five years.
Analysis indicated that the scale showed satisfactory internal
consistency, was sensitive to a range of scores representing
participants' stress, correlated significantly with standardised
measures of anxiety and depression, and showed a structure with three
factors of missing work, personal health, and relationship issues.?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.f...2&dopt=Abstract
?The stressfulness of retirement both as a transitional event
experienced during the past year and as a life stage was investigated.
Transitional stress was assessed using a life events approach, and
stage stress using a "hassles" approach. Respondents were 1,516 male
participants in the Normative Aging Study, 45% of whom were retired.
Among those retiring in the past year, respondents' own and spouse's
retirement were rated the least stressful from a list of 31 possible
events. Only 30% found retirement stressful. Retirement hassles were
also less frequently reported and were rated less stressful than the
work hassles of men still in the labor force. The only consistent
predictors of both transitional and stage retirement stress were poor
health and family finances; personality did not predict retirement
stress.?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.f...4&dopt=Citation
?Men in the physical health trajectories characterized by high,
increasing symptom levels were more likely to high in hostility and
anxiety, to smoke, and to be overweight. In contrast, the men in
?optimal aging? groups, characterized by low symptoms levels which
increased slowly with age, were emotionally stable as well as being
educated, non-smokers, and thin. High hostility was associated with
high symptom trajectory clusters, while high emotionality
characterized low, stable clusters. Those with moderate anxiety levels
had peaks in midlife, around retirement, or in late life. Thus,
different personality traits had life-long effects on symptom
trajectories, but the effects varied across trait
and outcome, suggestions interactions with other environmental or
genetic influences.?
http://hcd.ucdavis.edu/faculty/aldwin/Findings.pdf
?Early retirement may translate into early mortality, at least for
those 60 or younger, say researchers here. In a prospective cohort
study of thousands of employees who worked at Shell Oil, the
investigators found that embarking on the Golden Years at age 55
doubled the risk for death before reaching age 65, compared with those
who toiled beyond age 60.
Failing health might have played a role in the younger retirees'
higher mortality, said Shan P. Tsai, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at Shell
Health Services, according to the report in the British Medical
Journal.
However, data were not available to assess directly whether poor
health was a significant factor, and it is not clear why continued
employment led to longer life, the researchers wrote.?
http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/PreventiveCare/tb/1980
?The capacity for sound mental health among older adults
notwithstanding, a substantial proportion of the population 55 and
older?almost 20 percent of this age group?experience specific mental
disorders that are not part of ?normal? aging (see Table 5-1).
Research that has helped differentiate mental disorders from ?normal?
aging has been one of the more important achievements of recent
decades in the field of geriatric health. Unrecognized or untreated,
however, depression, Alzheimer?s disease, alcohol and drug misuse and
abuse, anxiety, late-life schizophrenia, and other conditions can be
severely impairing, even fatal; in the United States, the rate of
suicide, which is frequently a consequence of depression, is highest
among older adults relative to all other age groups (Hoyert et al.,
1999).?
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/chapter5/sec1.html
?It's much more common in the years after retirement ?Depression
has particular causes and shows certain patterns in the elderly. For
example, it's much more common in the years after retirement, when
people may struggle to adjust to a new role and routine in life. It's
then less likely for the next decade until they're in their mid-70s,
when factors such as chronic illness, frequent loss of peers and
friends, and increasing restrictions on mobility may be factors.
Depression also has a different pattern of symptoms in older people
compared with the young. Anxiety is particularly common, and the
slowing of thought and activity.?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/conditions/depressionelderly1.shtml
?This chapter examines a set of sociopsychological factors for
which substantial evidence exists for effects on health outcomes:
socioeconomic status; social support and networks; occupational
stress, unemployment, and retirement; social cohesion and social
capital, and religious belief Although it was previously believed that
some diseases were caused by psychological states with little
biological basis and that others were purely ?physical,? it is now
understood that in almost all cases that distinction is false.? Click
on the next page for purchase instructions.
http://newton.nap.edu/nap-cgi/skimit.cgi?recid=9838&chap=138-178
This is also a pay-per article on retirement syndrome. Here?s the
abstract: ?This article analyzes a problem that can be described as
the retirement syndrome. In exploring the difficulties many leaders
face in letting go at the end of a full career, it reviews a number of
the barriers to exit: financial, social, and psychological.
It looks at the physical and psychological effects of aging, in the
context of retirement; examines the experience of nothingness that
single-minded careerists often feel after retirement; describes the
talion principle, a subliminal fear of reprisals; and discusses the
?edifice complex,? the wish to leave behind a legacy. The article
concludes with suggestions as to how individuals and organizations can
develop more effective and humane disengagement strategies.?
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V9T-4B3FJJK-6&_coverDate=12%2F31%2F2003&_alid=476483173&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_qd=1&_cdi=5907&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=a17899cfc45c1ae6633fed75cdbb5151
?Health is a major factor. Those who felt that health was much
worse than the year before were more depressed than those whose health
had not changed.
Those who retired because of diminished cognitive skills were more
depressed. Loss of cognitive skills is a more significant stressor
than loss of professional identity.
Spousal health was the major cause of stress in this study, higher
even than the physician?s own personal health.
Dissatisfaction with the quality of one?s marriage also correlated
with depression in retirement.
http://www.texmed.org/Template.aspx?id=1683
?Social issues that contribute to depression in the elderly and
keep them from getting appropriate treatment:
? Our society focuses on and values youthfulness--the capacities and
attributes of the elderly are consistently underrated and undervalued
in our society.
? Older people may feel that their life is meaningless-that they no
longer have value.
? They were taught to be independent and feel they should be able to
take care of themselves and their own problems.
? They are not comfortable talking about, and tend to minimize,
symptoms that have emotional or psychological components. Stigma
worsens this problem.
? They fear of hospitalization, particularly psychiatric hospitalization.
? Loss related to age--family, friends, work, physical loss of
abilities, appearance, home, self esteem, role, social status, support
network--is a strong contributing factor.
? There are no longer have extended families that provide meaning,
support and care.
? Depression may be worsened by poor health, poor diet, lack of
exercise, light, money and social support.
? Elder abuse is sometimes a factor.
Treatment is necessary if:
? pain and sadness connected to a specific event last too long
? sadness, disappointment and loss persistently affect daily
activities of work, study, family, leisure activities, social
activities
Relaxation--There are a variety of relaxation and stress reduction
activities that elders may find helpful. They include:
? meditation or prayer
? listening to music
? looking at pleasant scenes or art
? body scan exercises
? guided imagery
These exercises need to be practised daily to be effective.?
http://www.mentalhealthrecovery.com/art_laterlife.html
?Risk factors for depression in adults include:
? alcohol abuse
? drug abuse and addiction
? personal history of a suicide attempt
? personal or family history of depression
? job strain
? stress
Older individuals may face additional risk factors because of the
aging process or chronic disease. These factors include:
? aging changes in the senses
? age-related hearing loss
? arthritis
? cancer
? concern about living arrangements
? coronary artery disease
? death of a spouse or other loved one
? financial concerns
? heart attack
? retirement
? some medicines and drug interactions
? stroke
Treatment of depression in the elderly: ?Antidepressant Medicines
Most of the available antidepressants are believed to be equally
effective in elderly adults, but the risk of side effects or potential
reactions with other medicines must be carefully considered. For
example, certain traditional antidepressants -- such as amitriptyline
and imipramine -- can be sedating and cause a sudden drop in blood
pressure when a person stands up, which can lead to falls and
fractures.
Antidepressants may take longer to start working in older people
than they do in younger people. Since elderly people are more
sensitive to medicines, doctors may prescribe lower doses at first. In
general, the length of treatment for depression in the elderly is
longer then it is in younger patients.
Psychotherapy
Most depressed people find that support from family and friends,
involvement in self-help and support groups, and psychotherapy are
very helpful.
Psychotherapy is especially beneficial for those patients who prefer
not to take medicine, as well as for those not suitable for treatment
with drugs because of side effects, interactions with other medicines,
or other medical illnesses. The use of psychotherapy in older adults
is beneficial with a broad range of functional and social consequences
of depression. Many doctors recommend the use of psychotherapy in
combination with antidepressant medicines.
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
ECT plays an important role in the treatment of depression in older
adults. Because many older patients are unable to take traditional
antidepressant medicines due to side effects or interactions with
other medications they may be taking, ECT is an extremely effective
alternative.?
http://www.medicineonline.com/reference/Health/Mental_Health/info/Depression-in-the-Elderly/
?Here are some things you can do to cope with these physical changes:
? Accept reality. Denying these changes will only make life less
enjoyable for you and the people around you. Get the things that will
help you - eyeglasses or hearing aids for example.
? Keep a positive attitude. Remember that slowing down does not mean
you have to come to a complete stop. Chances are you will still be
able to do almost all the things you used to; you may just need to
take a little more time and learn to pace yourself.
? See your family doctor regularly. He/she can, then, deal with any
changes or symptoms that require medical attention.
? Be careful about your medications. As you get older, they may begin
to interact differently with other drugs and to affect you differently
than before. Make sure your doctor knows about all your medications,
even those prescribed by another doctor.
? Take responsibility for your own health. Do not hesitate to ask your
doctor questions; some do not offer explanations unless asked.
? Change your eating habits. Adopt a balanced diet with fewer fatty
foods, and try not to over-eat.
? Drink less alcohol. Your body will have more difficulty coping with
it as you grow older.
? Very young children can brighten up your life. Try to make friends
with people of different ages. You may be pleasantly surprised to find
how much you have in common with someone 15 or 20 years younger than
you.
? Spend time with grandchildren and great-nieces and nephews.
Volunteer to help part-time in a local school or day-care centre. Very
young children can brighten up your life with their enthusiasm and
energy.
Your retirement can be a major source of stress because your job is
usually a very important part of your life. This stress may be even
greater if you have been forced to retire because of your employer's
retirement policies. You may lose your sense of identity and feel less
worthwhile. You will probably miss the daily contact with friends from
work.?
http://www.cmha.ca/bins/content_page.asp?cid=2-74
Tip for coping:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress-relief/SR00037
?Little is known about the factors associated with leaving the
armed forces, or what predicts subsequent employment success for
veterans. It is likely that there is a complex interaction of adverse
social outcomes and mental health status in this group.?
http://eurpub.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/15/2/175
A very short abstract: Military Retirement: The Retirement Syndrome
http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/123/7/848
?Is retirement all that it is cracked up to be? - According to a
recent study, 43% of Americans felt that adjusting to retirement was
difficult. Another research study determined that 20% of retirees have
so much difficulty transitioning to retirement that it leads to
depression. And another study showed that 40% of those who retired at
age 55 or younger went back to work in some way. Some of these people
went back because they had to for financial reasons. But others went
back to work because they wanted to.? Please scroll down the site?
http://www.canadianbusiness.com/my_money/planning/retirement_rrsp/article.jsp?content=20040601_104136_1736
How to Avoid the New Retiree Blues
It is not possible to copy any of this page, so please read this (and
all other sites posted) for complete information.
http://www.seniormag.com/retirement/retirement-blues.htm
There you go! I hope this is the answer you were seeking! If anything
is unclear, please request an Answer Clarification and allow me to
respond, before you rate.
Sincerely, Crabcakes
Search Terms
============
Retirement syndrome
stress + retirement + increased mortality
Retirement syndrome
Diagnosis + retirement syndrome
Stress + retirement
Depression + retirement |
Clarification of Answer by
crabcakes-ga
on
30 Oct 2006 19:28 PST
Hello again, Szeto,
While the term ?Retirement Syndrome? does exist and is used,
(primarily in retired military folks) I can find no evidence that the
kind of depression following retirement is an actual diagnostic term.
Retirement Syndrome is certainly loosely used, much in the way people
speak of Sundowner?s Syndrome in Alzheimer patients, about
post-retirement depression symptoms.
It seems the expression ?Retirement Syndrome? was coined byRobert
Lifton. ?In his profound essay - Imagining the Real: Beyond the
Nuclear ?End?, describes the phenomenon, which he calls the retirement
syndrome. He mentions that Admiral Rickover - the father of Americans
nuclear Navy - when he was forced to retire at age of eighty-one, made
a confessional statement: ?I think, we?ll probably destroy ourselves
and added, ?I?m not proud of the part I played?. The author concludes:
?One has to assume psychologically that the man-weapons constellation
is so pervasive while a person is in office, the pattern of nuclearism
is so dominant, that the world is seen through a prism of nuclear
weapons and therefore nuclear weapons-centered policies are
promulgated. At the moment of retirement, however, a person can take a
step back and, prodded by conscience, voice doubts that were
previously suppressed.?
?For a doctor or mental health professional to be able to make a
diagnosis, the condition must be defined in DSM-IV or its
international equivalent, the World Health Organization's ICD-10.?
http://www.bullyonline.org/stress/ptsd.htm
?Retirement syndrome? may fall under ?Adjustment Disorders?,
according to the German Institute of Medical Documentation and
Information.
?Adjustment disorders States of subjective distress and emotional
disturbance, usually interfering with social functioning and
performance, arising in the period of adaptation to a significant life
change or a stressful life event. The stressor may have affected the
integrity of an individual's social network (bereavement, separation
experiences) or the wider system of social supports and values
(migration, refugee status), or represented a major developmental
transition or crisis (going to school, becoming a parent, failure to
attain a cherished personal goal, retirement). Individual
predisposition or vulnerability plays an important role in the risk of
occurrence and the shaping of the manifestations of adjustment
disorders, but it is nevertheless assumed that the condition would not
have arisen without the stressor. The manifestations vary and include
depressed mood, anxiety or worry (or mixture of these), a feeling of
inability to cope, plan ahead, or continue in the present situation,
as well as some degree of disability in 9the performance of daily
routine. Conduct disorders may be an associated feature, particularly
in adolescents. The predominant feature may be a brief or prolonged
depressive reaction, or a disturbance of other emotions and conduct.?
http://www.dimdi.de/static/en/klassi/diagnosen/icd10/htmlengl2003/fr-icd.htm?gf40.htm+
The Retirement Syndrome: The Psychology of Letting Go
This 28 page document in not copyable; please see the article for
information on the syndromw named precisely as you indicated!
The actual URL is:
http://ged.insead.edu/fichiersti/inseadwp2003/2003-37.pdf
(How the first URL became ?garbled?, I have no clue. I cut and pasted
this URL, as I did for the one above!)
http://ged.insead.edu/fichiersti/inseadwp2...003/2003-37.pdf
Retirement is a great stressor, and can lead to depression. ?There
are many reasons why you might feel depressed. You may undergo major
life changes such as divorce, separation, loss of a job, retirement or
moving town. Or you may feel unhappy about your marital situation or
fear physical and mental problems of old age.?
http://www.visioform.com/infothek/dealing-with-depression.htm
From AARP ?Schlossberg recalls one retired couple to make her
point. After 35 years, the couple sold their dry-cleaning business,
through which they had been a vital part of their community, according
to Schlossberg. The wife immediately assumed a new role as
grandparent, replacing her relationship with customers with those of
her family. Since she could no longer sew for her customers, she began
sewing for her grandchildren.
Meanwhile, the husband grew increasingly depressed, having lost his
identity and customers to interact with. After much resistance, his
son, remembering his father's love of baseball, got him to sign up for
a senior baseball team. Soon everything turned around. The man became
happy and engaged. He had a new identity, new relationships, and new
involvement.
Depression is not uncommon when people retire, and stress can lead to
depression. People who have health or marital problems, experienced
previous bouts of depression, or have a greater sense of hopelessness
and pessimism are at greater risk of becoming depressed when they
retire. Trying to identify the underlying causes of depression, as
well as developing a more positive attitude toward transitioning, can
help relieve it, according to Deitch.?
Here is the full URL. Again, I had copied and pasted? I have NO idea
what happened here. This has never happened to me before!
http://www.aarp.org/health/staying_healthy/stress/a2004-10-08-retiring-happy.html
(The ?garbled? URL)
http://www.aarp.org/health/staying_healthy...ring-happy.html
?Leaving work, for any reason, can be stressful. Recent research
has shown that up to 1 in 7 men who become unemployed will develop a
depressive illness in the next 6 months.
After relationship difficulties, unemployment is the thing most likely
to push a man into a serious depression ? work is often the main
source of a man?s sense of worth and self-esteem. You may lose the
signs of your success, such as the company car. You may have to adjust
to being at home, looking after children, while your wife or partner
becomes the bread-winner.
From a position of being in control, you may face a future over which
you have little, especially if it takes a long time to find another
job.
You are more likely to become depressed if you are shy, if you don?t
have a close relationship or if you don?t manage to find another job.
Depression itself can make it harder to get another job.
Even retiring from work at the usual age can be difficult for many
men, especially if your partner continues to work. It can be hard to
adjust to losing the structure of your day and your contact with
colleagues. Gay men and depression on the whole, gay men do not suffer
from depression any more than straight men. However, it seems that gay
teenagers and young adults are more likely to become depressed,
possibly due to the stresses associated with coming out.?
http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinformation/mentalhealthproblems/depression/mendepression.aspx
?A study by Cornell University psychologists has found that
retirement can spark marital discord and depression.
Jungmeen Kim and Phyllis Moen, who studied 534 married men and women
between the ages of 50 and 74, found that men who retired while their
wives were still working showed a higher level of marital stress then
newly retired men whose wives did not work.
The happiest men were the ones who found another job and whose wives
were not working.
"Those who are retired and reemployed report the highest morale and
lowest depression," said Kim.
Men who stay retired fare worst in terms of depression and low morale.
Women also at risk.
Among women, starting retirement posed a risk of depression,
especially if their husbands were still working - but getting another
job did not help.?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/health/429286.stm
?Subjects who retired early at 55 and who were still alive at 65
had a significantly higher mortality than those who retired at 65
(hazard ratio 1.37, 95% confidence interval 1.09 to 1.73). Mortality
was also significantly higher for subjects in the first 10 years after
retirement at 55 compared with those who continued working (1.89, 1.58
to 2.27). After adjustment, mortality was similar between those who
retired at 60 and those who retired at 65 (1.06, 0.92 to 1.22).
Mortality did not differ for the first five years after retirement at
60 compared with continuing work at 60 (1.04, 0.82 to 1.31).
Conclusions Retiring early at 55 or 60 was not associated with better
survival than retiring at 65 in a cohort of past employees of the
petrochemical industry. Mortality was higher in employees who retired
at 55 than in those who continued working.?
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/331/7523/995
Here is a nice slide show with data on retirement and depression.
http://www.share-project.org/new_sites/seh/dewey.pdf
?"Retired husband syndrome" is one of the leading causes of divorce
among older couples in Japan. The symptoms include irritability,
ulcers, rashes, and the recurring urge to toss one's husband out the
window.
Japanese doctors first described the syndrome when wives started
showing symptoms of stress after being forced to deal with their
recently retired husbands who demanded absolute subservience. The
divorce rates among couples married for 20 years more than doubled
between 1985 and 2000 in Japan.?
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/AmericanFamily/s...tory?id=1491039
?A 14-item self-report scale, Self-perceived Stress in Retirement
Scale, was developed from retirees' lists of factors which caused them
stress in everyday living, and then administered to 348 men and 385
women who had been retired from between six months to over five years.
Analysis indicated that the scale showed satisfactory internal
consistency, was sensitive to a range of scores representing
participants' stress, correlated significantly with standardised
measures of anxiety and depression, and showed a structure with three
factors of missing work, personal health, and relationship issues.?
Here is the actual URL?same problem ? no clue as to what caused the
URL to become garbled.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9293222&dopt=Abstract
(Garbled URL)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.f...2&dopt=Abstract
?The stressfulness of retirement both as a transitional event
experienced during the past year and as a life stage was investigated.
Transitional stress was assessed using a life events approach, and
stage stress using a "hassles" approach. Respondents were 1,516 male
participants in the Normative Aging Study, 45% of whom were retired.
Among those retiring in the past year, respondents' own and spouse's
retirement were rated the least stressful from a list of 31 possible
events. Only 30% found retirement stressful. Retirement hassles were
also less frequently reported and were rated less stressful than the
work hassles of men still in the labor force. The only consistent
predictors of both transitional and stage retirement stress were poor
health and family finances; personality did not predict retirement
stress.?
The actual URL
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1986044&dopt=Abstract
(Garbeld URL)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.f...4&dopt=Citation
?Men in the physical health trajectories characterized by high,
increasing symptom levels were more likely to high in hostility and
anxiety, to smoke, and to be overweight. In contrast, the men in
?optimal aging? groups, characterized by low symptoms levels which
increased slowly with age, were emotionally stable as well as being
educated, non-smokers, and thin. High hostility was associated with
high symptom trajectory clusters, while high emotionality
characterized low, stable clusters. Those with moderate anxiety levels
had peaks in midlife, around retirement, or in late life. Thus,
different personality traits had life-long effects on symptom
trajectories, but the effects varied across trait
and outcome, suggestions interactions with other environmental or
genetic influences.?
http://hcd.ucdavis.edu/faculty/aldwin/Findings.pdf
?Early retirement may translate into early mortality, at least for
those 60 or younger, say researchers here. In a prospective cohort
study of thousands of employees who worked at Shell Oil, the
investigators found that embarking on the Golden Years at age 55
doubled the risk for death before reaching age 65, compared with those
who toiled beyond age 60.
Failing health might have played a role in the younger retirees'
higher mortality, said Shan P. Tsai, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at Shell
Health Services, according to the report in the British Medical
Journal.
However, data were not available to assess directly whether poor
health was a significant factor, and it is not clear why continued
employment led to longer life, the researchers wrote.?
http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/PreventiveCare/tb/1980
?The capacity for sound mental health among older adults
notwithstanding, a substantial proportion of the population 55 and
older?almost 20 percent of this age group?experience specific mental
disorders that are not part of ?normal? aging (see Table 5-1).
Research that has helped differentiate mental disorders from ?normal?
aging has been one of the more important achievements of recent
decades in the field of geriatric health. Unrecognized or untreated,
however, depression, Alzheimer?s disease, alcohol and drug misuse and
abuse, anxiety, late-life schizophrenia, and other conditions can be
severely impairing, even fatal; in the United States, the rate of
suicide, which is frequently a consequence of depression, is highest
among older adults relative to all other age groups (Hoyert et al.,
1999).?
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/chapter5/sec1.html
?It's much more common in the years after retirement ?Depression
has particular causes and shows certain patterns in the elderly. For
example, it's much more common in the years after retirement, when
people may struggle to adjust to a new role and routine in life. It's
then less likely for the next decade until they're in their mid-70s,
when factors such as chronic illness, frequent loss of peers and
friends, and increasing restrictions on mobility may be factors.
Depression also has a different pattern of symptoms in older people
compared with the young. Anxiety is particularly common, and the
slowing of thought and activity.?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/conditions/depressionelderly1.shtml
?This chapter examines a set of sociopsychological factors for
which substantial evidence exists for effects on health outcomes:
socioeconomic status; social support and networks; occupational
stress, unemployment, and retirement; social cohesion and social
capital, and religious belief Although it was previously believed that
some diseases were caused by psychological states with little
biological basis and that others were purely ?physical,? it is now
understood that in almost all cases that distinction is false.? Click
on the next page for purchase instructions.
http://newton.nap.edu/nap-cgi/skimit.cgi?recid=9838&chap=138-178
This is also a pay-per article on retirement syndrome. Here?s the
abstract: ?This article analyzes a problem that can be described as
the retirement syndrome. In exploring the difficulties many leaders
face in letting go at the end of a full career, it reviews a number of
the barriers to exit: financial, social, and psychological.
It looks at the physical and psychological effects of aging, in the
context of retirement; examines the experience of nothingness that
single-minded careerists often feel after retirement; describes the
talion principle, a subliminal fear of reprisals; and discusses the
?edifice complex,? the wish to leave behind a legacy. The article
concludes with suggestions as to how individuals and organizations can
develop more effective and humane disengagement strategies.?
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V9T-4B3FJJK-6&_coverDate=12%2F31%2F2003&_alid=476483173&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_qd=1&_cdi=5907&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=a17899cfc45c1ae6633fed75cdbb5151
?Health is a major factor. Those who felt that health was much
worse than the year before were more depressed than those whose health
had not changed.
Those who retired because of diminished cognitive skills were more
depressed. Loss of cognitive skills is a more significant stressor
than loss of professional identity.
Spousal health was the major cause of stress in this study, higher
even than the physician?s own personal health.
Dissatisfaction with the quality of one?s marriage also correlated
with depression in retirement.
http://www.texmed.org/Template.aspx?id=1683
?Social issues that contribute to depression in the elderly and
keep them from getting appropriate treatment:
? Our society focuses on and values youthfulness--the capacities and
attributes of the elderly are consistently underrated and undervalued
in our society.
? Older people may feel that their life is meaningless-that they no
longer have value.
? They were taught to be independent and feel they should be able to
take care of themselves and their own problems.
? They are not comfortable talking about, and tend to minimize,
symptoms that have emotional or psychological components. Stigma
worsens this problem.
? They fear of hospitalization, particularly psychiatric hospitalization.
? Loss related to age--family, friends, work, physical loss of
abilities, appearance, home, self esteem, role, social status, support
network--is a strong contributing factor.
? There are no longer have extended families that provide meaning,
support and care.
? Depression may be worsened by poor health, poor diet, lack of
exercise, light, money and social support.
? Elder abuse is sometimes a factor.
Treatment is necessary if:
? pain and sadness connected to a specific event last too long
? sadness, disappointment and loss persistently affect daily
activities of work, study, family, leisure activities, social
activities
Relaxation--There are a variety of relaxation and stress reduction
activities that elders may find helpful. They include:
? meditation or prayer
? listening to music
? looking at pleasant scenes or art
? body scan exercises
? guided imagery
These exercises need to be practised daily to be effective.?
http://www.mentalhealthrecovery.com/art_laterlife.html
?Risk factors for depression in adults include:
? alcohol abuse
? drug abuse and addiction
? personal history of a suicide attempt
? personal or family history of depression
? job strain
? stress
Older individuals may face additional risk factors because of the
aging process or chronic disease. These factors include:
? aging changes in the senses
? age-related hearing loss
? arthritis
? cancer
? concern about living arrangements
? coronary artery disease
? death of a spouse or other loved one
? financial concerns
? heart attack
? retirement
? some medicines and drug interactions
? stroke
Treatment of depression in the elderly: ?Antidepressant Medicines
Most of the available antidepressants are believed to be equally
effective in elderly adults, but the risk of side effects or potential
reactions with other medicines must be carefully considered. For
example, certain traditional antidepressants -- such as amitriptyline
and imipramine -- can be sedating and cause a sudden drop in blood
pressure when a person stands up, which can lead to falls and
fractures.
Antidepressants may take longer to start working in older people
than they do in younger people. Since elderly people are more
sensitive to medicines, doctors may prescribe lower doses at first. In
general, the length of treatment for depression in the elderly is
longer then it is in younger patients.
Psychotherapy
Most depressed people find that support from family and friends,
involvement in self-help and support groups, and psychotherapy are
very helpful.
Psychotherapy is especially beneficial for those patients who prefer
not to take medicine, as well as for those not suitable for treatment
with drugs because of side effects, interactions with other medicines,
or other medical illnesses. The use of psychotherapy in older adults
is beneficial with a broad range of functional and social consequences
of depression. Many doctors recommend the use of psychotherapy in
combination with antidepressant medicines.
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
ECT plays an important role in the treatment of depression in older
adults. Because many older patients are unable to take traditional
antidepressant medicines due to side effects or interactions with
other medications they may be taking, ECT is an extremely effective
alternative.?
http://www.medicineonline.com/reference/Health/Mental_Health/info/Depression-in-the-Elderly/
?Here are some things you can do to cope with these physical changes:
? Accept reality. Denying these changes will only make life less
enjoyable for you and the people around you. Get the things that will
help you - eyeglasses or hearing aids for example.
? Keep a positive attitude. Remember that slowing down does not mean
you have to come to a complete stop. Chances are you will still be
able to do almost all the things you used to; you may just need to
take a little more time and learn to pace yourself.
? See your family doctor regularly. He/she can, then, deal with any
changes or symptoms that require medical attention.
? Be careful about your medications. As you get older, they may begin
to interact differently with other drugs and to affect you differently
than before. Make sure your doctor knows about all your medications,
even those prescribed by another doctor.
? Take responsibility for your own health. Do not hesitate to ask your
doctor questions; some do not offer explanations unless asked.
? Change your eating habits. Adopt a balanced diet with fewer fatty
foods, and try not to over-eat.
? Drink less alcohol. Your body will have more difficulty coping with
it as you grow older.
? Very young children can brighten up your life. Try to make friends
with people of different ages. You may be pleasantly surprised to find
how much you have in common with someone 15 or 20 years younger than
you.
? Spend time with grandchildren and great-nieces and nephews.
Volunteer to help part-time in a local school or day-care centre. Very
young children can brighten up your life with their enthusiasm and
energy.
Your retirement can be a major source of stress because your job is
usually a very important part of your life. This stress may be even
greater if you have been forced to retire because of your employer's
retirement policies. You may lose your sense of identity and feel less
worthwhile. You will probably miss the daily contact with friends from
work.?
http://www.cmha.ca/bins/content_page.asp?cid=2-74
Tip for coping:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress-relief/SR00037
?Little is known about the factors associated with leaving the
armed forces, or what predicts subsequent employment success for
veterans. It is likely that there is a complex interaction of adverse
social outcomes and mental health status in this group.?
http://eurpub.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/15/2/175
A very short abstract: Military Retirement: The Retirement Syndrome
http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/123/7/848
?Is retirement all that it is cracked up to be? - According to a
recent study, 43% of Americans felt that adjusting to retirement was
difficult. Another research study determined that 20% of retirees have
so much difficulty transitioning to retirement that it leads to
depression. And another study showed that 40% of those who retired at
age 55 or younger went back to work in some way. Some of these people
went back because they had to for financial reasons. But others went
back to work because they wanted to.? Please scroll down the site?
http://www.canadianbusiness.com/my_money/planning/retirement_rrsp/article.jsp?content=20040601_104136_1736
How to Avoid the New Retiree Blues
It is not possible to copy any of this page, so please read this (and
all other sites posted) for complete information.
http://www.seniormag.com/retirement/retirement-blues.htm
Unfortunately for you there is little to be found about Retirement
Syndrome, but lucky for me, as I was able to locate the ?missing
links?! (Pun intended)
I was unable to relocate the ABC article, but did find this one:
?The children are raised and have lives of their own now... Most of
these seniors have long since retired...
Some may be mourning the loss of a spouse... Others may be wondering what now...
Bette Carr: "I HAD A LOT MORE TIME ON MY HANDS AND I DECIDED TO JUST
STAY IN BED AND NOT BOTHER AND NOT GO ON LIVING AND NOT PARTICIPATE IN
THINGS AND JUST KIND OF GAVE UP ON LIFE."
Depression in senior citizens is more common than most realize. It may
disguise itself in physical symptoms.... prompting a visit to the
doctor rather than a visit to a therapist. Isreal Ticher felt
worthless and unloved nine months ago. For him it was simply a
chemical imbalance...changes that can happen as you get older.
Medication and someone to talk to made the difference for him.
Israel Teicher: "THE MAIN THING IS THAT YOU ARE A WORTHWHILE BEING
THAT YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED A LOT AND YOU CAN ACCOMPLISH MORE..ITS JUST
MAKE YOU FEEL THE VERY THING I THOUGHT I WAS WORTHLESS BUT SHE SAID
YOU ARE VERY INTELLIGENT ACCOMPLISHED HUMAN BEING."
http://stage-tv.ksl.com/index.php?nid=46&sid=52688
This is an interesting slant: The Irritable Male Syndrome
http://www.menalive.com/ims-AARP.htm
There you go! I hope this is the answer you were seeking! If anything
is unclear, please request an Answer Clarification and allow me to
respond, before you rate.
Sincerely, Crabcakes
Search Terms
============
Retirement syndrome
stress + retirement + increased mortality
Retirement syndrome
Diagnosis + retirement syndrome
Stress + retirement
Depression + retirement
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