It always amazes me to hear how many women in the community are hiding depression from those they love. After all, depression is something that impacts most of us at some point in our lives.

It is certainly not something to be ashamed of. It is simply our brain’s response to the internal and external pressures pushing on it.

Women Over 60 Are Particularly Good at Hiding Depression from Family

Depression impacts people of all ages. At the same time, it occurs to me that women our age are particularly likely to hide their depression from their friends and family.

For our entire lives, we have been forced to be the strong ones in our family.

As mothers, we wanted to make our kids feel safe and protected. So, we hid our concerns about money, life and our relationships from them.

As employees, we fought hard to look strong in a male-dominated workforce. We certainly didn’t want to appear emotional or weak to our colleagues.

Now, in our 60s and 70s, we have every reason to accept ourselves and be honest with the people in our lives. Unfortunately, habits are hard to break and many of us suffer from depression, anxiety or loneliness in silence.

Dr. Margaret Wants to Help with Your Perfectly Hidden Depression

I recently recorded a series of interviews with Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Margaret Rutherford. During our discussions, Margaret gave some amazing advice on how women our age can fight back against depression and get the help that they need. If you haven’t already had a chance to watch it, I encourage you to take a look.

During today’s interview, Dr. Margaret describes a book that she is writing that I feel will have a positive impact on many women in the community. Enjoy the show.

The theme of the book is Perfectly Hidden Depression. The book is based on her work with her many clients who hide their depression behind a smile. They may have a plan to deal with their depression, but, their decision to hide their perceived weakness from the world only hurts them in the long-term.

During our interview, Dr. Margaret explains that women our age hide depression, in part, because of the unique characteristics of our generation. Baby boomers experienced optimism and opportunity and so, when they face depression, they say to themselves “Everything is going so well. There is so much abundance and opportunity in the world. What on Earth do I have to be depressed about?”

This issue is so important to me and I really hope that Dr. Margaret’s book is successful. Baby boomers have one of the highest suicide rates of any generation. We need to learn to accept ourselves, perceived weaknesses at all.

In fact, we really shouldn’t see asking for help as a weakness. If anything, it is a sign of courage. You deserve to be happy. I hope that you find my interview with Dr. Margaret inspiring. If you have a question for Margaret, please add it in the comments.

Why do you think women of our generation have such a hard time asking for help? Do you agree that admitting that you are suffering from depression, anxiety or loneliness is actually a sign of strength? Why or why not? Do you have any questions for Dr. Margaret? Please join the conversation.