Symptoms of depression in old people in Finland

The study describes common symptoms of depression and age and sex differences in these symptoms in elderly Finns. The symptoms were assessed on the basis of the 22-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD), and comparisons were made between the symptoms of those diagnosed as depressed and those diagnosed as not depressed in clinical investigations. The most common symptoms in depressed men were general somatic symptoms, initial insomnia, loss of interest in work and activities, middle insomnia, and depressed mood. In depressed women, the most common symptoms were psychic anxiety, general somatic symptoms, initial insomnia, loss of interest in work and activities, and depressed mood. In both these groups the lowest occurrences were found for compulsory symptoms, paranoid symptoms and depersonalization. The symptomatology was most severe in the oldest age group: depressed mood and many somatic symptoms were more common in depressed older male and female age groups than in younger groups. Sex comparisons showed that many symptoms were more severe in depressed women than in depressed men: depressed mood, feelings of guilt, psychic anxiety, somatic anxiety and diurnal variation of symptoms were more common in depressed women. Retardation was the only symptom that was more common in depressed men. Loss of libido did not belong to the symptomatology of depression in the oldest female age group, but in men and in younger female age group it could in some cases indicate occurrence of depression.