2 to 3 pm ET

Everyone feels down or sad sometimes, but these feelings usually pass after a few days. If feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and fatigue persist for weeks at a time, you may have depression.

Each year about 6.7 percent of U.S. adults experience depression. Depression often co-occurs with other serious illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and Parkinson’s disease. Because many older adults face these illnesses, a common misperception is that depression is a normal part of aging. While depression is common in older adults, it does not have to be a usual way of life.

Don’t let depression dampen your mood this holiday season. Please join the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) on Friday, December 20, 2013, from 2 to 3 pm ET for a Twitter chat on depression and older adults. Jovier Evans, Ph.D., who is Chief of the Geriatric Translational Neuroscience Program at NIMH will be on-hand to discuss the topic and answer your questions. Please use the hashtag #NIMHchats to follow and participate in the Twitter chat.

For more information, see the NIMH Site.

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• Generations program tackles depression in older adults (kvue.com)
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• Older Adult Holiday Tip Sheet: Beating the Blues in the Community and Residential Care (juliebajic.wordpress.com)
• Family Conversations with Older Drivers (blogs.thehartford.com)