Depression May Make You A Bad Driver, But Not For Reasons You Think

There are a lot of misconceptions floating around on social media when it comes to depression. Many people have normalized the word to the point that people use it to explain general feelings of sadness and low energy. While people are more adept at understanding the importance of mental health and they are more equipped to handle difficult situations, they can still be misinformed and that is more dangerous than not knowing at all. A recent study published in JAMA Network Open revealed a concerning link between depression and unsafe driving habits among older adults, specifically those aged 65 and older. According to the study, these people were diagnosed with major depressive disorder or MDD, which is characterized by behaviors like sadness, loss of interest, as well as risky behaviors while driving! They did things like braking too hard, driving too fast, and driving very far. This was true even when the researchers considered if the drivers were taking medicine that could affect their driving. This means that depression itself seems to make driving more dangerous for older adults.

Why Driving With Depression Is A Cause Of Concern?

Depression can make it hard to think clearly, react quickly, and pay attention, and all of these things are important for safe driving. The reason why researchers only focused on older adults was because they tend to go unnoticed and depression is common in this age group. Many older people depend on driving to get around, so it's important to understand how depression might affect their ability to drive safely. Focusing on issues like this helps us keep them safe and independent for as long as possible. This also brings more attention towards mental health awareness in older people as many of them do not like to acknowledge their feelings of sadness and loneliness and often the people around them also do not pay much attention to them either!

What Does The Data Suggest?

Past studies on driving and mental health were sometimes conducted in labs or people were asked about their own driving, which isn't always accurate - people have different perceptions of things and can remember things wrongly as well. This new study used special devices put in cars to track how people actually drove in real life. They looked at 395 people over 65, some with depression and some without. From 2021 to 2023, the devices recorded things like hard braking, sharp turns, speeding, and how far people drove. The results showed that people with depression did these risky things more often.

There are a lot of misconceptions floating around on social media when it comes to depression. Many people have normalized the word to the point that people use it to explain general feelings of sadness and low energy. While people are more adept at understanding the importance of mental health and they are more equipped to handle difficult situations, they can still be misinformed and that is more dangerous than not knowing at all. A recent study published in JAMA Network Open revealed a concerning link between depression and unsafe driving habits among older adults, specifically those aged 65 and older. According to the study, these people were diagnosed with major depressive disorder or MDD, which is characterized by behaviors like sadness, loss of interest, as well as risky behaviors while driving! They did things like braking too hard, driving too fast, and driving very far. This was true even when the researchers considered if the drivers were taking medicine that could affect their driving. This means that depression itself seems to make driving more dangerous for older adults.

Why Driving With Depression Is A Cause Of Concern?

Depression can make it hard to think clearly, react quickly, and pay attention, and all of these things are important for safe driving. The reason why researchers only focused on older adults was because they tend to go unnoticed and depression is common in this age group. Many older people depend on driving to get around, so it's important to understand how depression might affect their ability to drive safely. Focusing on issues like this helps us keep them safe and independent for as long as possible. This also brings more attention towards mental health awareness in older people as many of them do not like to acknowledge their feelings of sadness and loneliness and often the people around them also do not pay much attention to them either!

What Does The Data Suggest?

Past studies on driving and mental health were sometimes conducted in labs or people were asked about their own driving, which isn't always accurate - people have different perceptions of things and can remember things wrongly as well. This new study used special devices put in cars to track how people actually drove in real life. They looked at 395 people over 65, some with depression and some without. From 2021 to 2023, the devices recorded things like hard braking, sharp turns, speeding, and how far people drove. The results showed that people with depression did these risky things more often.