Rini Kramer-Carter has tried everything to pull herself out of her dark emotional hole: individual therapy, support groups, tai chi and numerous antidepressants.
The 73-year-old musician rattles off the list: Prozac, Cymbalta, Lexapro.
“I’ve been on a bunch,” she said. “I still cry all the time.”
She has what’s known as “treatment-resistant depression.” It’s commonly defined as depression that doesn’t respond to two different medications when taken one after the other, at the right dose and for the right amount of time.
Nearly 16 million adults have major depression, and up to a thirddo not respond to treatment. The disease afflicts people of all ages, but experts say that as many as half of older adults don’t get better with standard treatment.
Mental health experts expect treatment-resistant depression to become more widespread as baby boomers age. Boomers already have been identified as having higher rates of depression than previous generations, and over time their depression may no longer respond to medication.
[For more of this story, written by Anna Gorman, go to http://mhdaily.org/blues-wont-let-2/]
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