My Alzheimer's Journey
Part 176 - Depressive Funk
Hello, friends.
I hope everyone had a meaningful, restful, and rejuvenating weekend. It is hard for me to believe we are already in the month of August. Where did the summer go?
This weekend was difficult for me. Emotionally, I was in a depressive funk. Depressive funk is my phrase for an emotional state that combines depression, sadness, and frustration.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, up to 40 percent of people with Alzheimer’s also suffer from depression. About 7 percent of the general population reports suffering from depression. John Hopkins Medicine cites direct physical changes in the brain, psychological or emotional reactions to memory loss, and social or life changes as contributing factors to this higher rate of depression.
The physical changes to the brain include:
Damaged brain cells and changes to the brain’s structure.
Chemical imbalances: Alzheimer’s lowers important mood chemicals like serotonin.
Brain inflammation and high stress hormones affect areas that control emotions
Psychological or emotional reactions to memory loss include:
Awareness of decline resulting in feelings of shock, fear, or sadness.
Frustration due to the inability or difficulty doing everyday tasks. This often leads to feelings of helplessness.
The social and life changes include:
Isolation resulting from the loss of social activities.
Sadness from losing a job, hobbies, or other pursuits.
Other health issues further complicate these disease-related changes.
I suppose I am an average Alzheimer’s patient because I see the listed changes and reactions in myself. While my decline, or disease progression, is slow, I am aware of new and worsening symptoms. Frustration is an emotion I fight every day. I am trying to change frustration into acceptance. Life changes are the most difficult thing for me to manage. In the blink of an eye, I went from owning and managing a business to having nothing to keep me occupied.
The business I closed provided social interaction, physical activity, creative thinking, problem-solving skills, and substantial income. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss the business. I have replaced some of those attributes with my research, writing, online stores, and Alzheimer’s advocacy work. None of my new pursuits provide the income (not yet!) that the construction business provided. That is certainly a huge source of stress.
I believe adapting to life as an Alzheimer’s patient is a process that requires patience, resilience, support from family and friends, and excellent medical care. It certainly isn’t an easy journey. It is a one day at a time process.
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