Is there a difference between growing old and growing up?

We are well aware as we look in the mirror everyday that parts of our body are responding quite well to gravity. Some of these parts are on our face and some of us call it growing old. Yet it’s not an automatic correlation that by growing old, we also grow up.

Is there a difference between growing old and growing up?

A lot people say “Well, as you get older, you get wiser and more mature. You become more adult-like.” What does that mean? When I take a look at my parents and how they’ve lived their lives, I begin thinking that they are still trying to discover what adulthood is. Yes, they have more responsibility, yes, they are tied into mortgages and payments of car loans and this and that. Yes, they have had children and had to raise them effectively and yes, they’re in a marriage but where did they learn about all this wisdom stuff and about adulthood from? From their parents!

Now I hesitate to ask that question about their parents as well. So we go back in time and find out that really, most of us have been pretending to be ‘grown up’ or playing the role of a grown up. Yet there is, inside of us, that child within, that inner child that we’re all aching to go back to. That false self we have in front of us is masking that real, fun child that wants to be set free, that wants to learn again, wants to have fun again.

Maybe this thing about ‘growing old with someone’ may mean sharing the getting of having more wisdom with this person and simply spending more time with them. For some people though, growing older leads to a common ailment, which is depression. What is depression? Well nobody knows for sure what causes depression but it’s associated with major life transitions like the loss of a loved one, a marriage, a job, moving or even such positive changes like winning the lottery.

Sometimes, however, there is no evident cause. Women are twice as likely to become depressed than men. People over 65 have 4 times the incidence rate of depression amongst younger people. Depression is the most common complaint that physicians hear.
Depression had previously been attributed to weakness of character and self-indulgence, something a person should just snap out of. Recent research however, has shown it to be something quite concrete and real. Brain scanning, with Positron Emission Tomography, has identified two parts of the brain that function abnormally during major depression. The left frontal cortex has an abnormally high blood flow and this may be associated with the constant flow of negative thoughts that typically accompany this state.

The Amygdala, a small inner brain structure, thought to regulate emotional reactions also had a high blood flow both during and between bouts of depression. So from a neuro-chemical perspective, depression is connected with reduced levels of the neurotransmitters, Serotonin, Norepinephrine and Dopamine. As a result of reduced levels of these neurotransmitters, especially Serotonin, people experience two symptoms, a feeling of depression and Anhedonia, the diminished ability to enjoy things that normally bring pleasure, such as food, sex or favourite hobbies.

Indicators of depression include:

1. Fatigue and weakness.
2. Inability to concentrate and make decisions.
3. Slow body motion.
4. Sad and empty moods.
5. Changes in eating patterns.
6. Feelings of failure and uselessness.
7. Changes in sleeping patterns.
8. Moodiness and irritability.
9. Weight loss or weight gain.
10. Preoccupation with thoughts of death and suicide.

Aside form the immediate discomfort that these symptoms produce, they also produce neuro-transmitters and neuro-peptides which inhibit the immune system so we become more prone to getting sick as well. Depression left unchecked and untreated can lead to what we call Depressive Psychosis. Simply put, it is a state of mind where the emotional content of any thought is magnified and treated as very real regardless of any evidence to the contrary. If you or someone you love has been depressed for a while check with your Physician or a Psychiatrist for immediate treatment.