Just having someone to talk to helps avoid depression 

A major international study from nearly 24,000 people aged 54 to 99, across 11 countries including Australia, has found it is good to have someone to talk to when depressed or stressed.

Retirement living or living in a land lease community provides a sense of community not found in many suburbs where people live on their own; Isolation is a real epidemic.

The research, led by Dr Suraj Samtani, UNSW Sydney, and published in the American Journal of Epidemiology has found that emotional support, such as having someone to talk to when feeling stressed, is linked to significantly lower levels of depression among older adults, both now and into the future.

“Our study shows that emotional support, more than practical help with daily tasks, plays a powerful protective role against depression in older age,” said lead author Dr Suraj Samtani and Post-Doctoral Fellow at UNSW’s Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA).

 “It highlights how crucial it is for older people to feel heard, understood and emotionally connected to others.”

 While emotional support was consistently linked to reducing depressive symptoms, instrumental support, such as help with practical activities like shopping or transportation, was not found to have the same mental health benefit.

 “It’s not that practical help isn’t valuable,” said Dr Samtani, “but it doesn’t appear to protect against depression in the same way. In fact, for some people, needing help with everyday tasks may increase feelings of helplessness or loss of independence.”

Depression affects more than 25 million older adults worldwide, with late-life depression significantly increasing the risk of other health problems including dementia, cardiovascular disease, and poorer quality of life. The global burden of depression has surged by nearly 50% since 1990.

The researchers suggest that public health initiatives should focus on building emotional connections – whether through community groups, digital platforms, or intergenerational programs – as a way to protect mental health in ageing populations.