Is depression an age-related condition? New research suggests the answer may be yes.

University of Bradford researchers who tracked the experiences of 2,000 older Australians for 15 years found that men and women both reported increasingly more depressive symptoms as they aged beyond the age of 65. The findings, published in the international journal Psychology and Aging, challenges the long-held notion that older people are generally happier than younger people.

Lead researcher Dr. Helena Chui said key factors typically include levels of physical impairment, the onset of medical conditions, and the approach of death. Half of the individuals in the study suffered with arthritis, which tended to increase depressive symptoms.

“These findings are very significant and have implications for how we deal with old age,” Dr. Chui said. “It's the first study to tell us depressive symptoms continue to increase throughout old age. We are in a period of unprecedented success in terms of people living longer than ever and in greater numbers and we should be celebrating this but it seems that we are finding it hard to cope.

"It seems that we need to look carefully at the provision of adequate services to match these needs, particularly in the area of mental health support and pain management. Social policies and ageing-friendly support structures, such as the provision of public transport and access to health care services are needed to target the 'oldest-old' adults as a whole."