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Related Experiment Videos

[Depression in the very elderly]

M Linden1, G Kurtz, M M Baltes

  • 1Psychiatrische Klinik und Poliklinik, Freie Universität Berlin.

Der Nervenarzt
|April 2, 1998
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Depression affects nearly 10% of older adults, with higher rates in women and those with multiple health conditions. Undertreatment is common, with few receiving antidepressants.

Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Psychiatry
  • Epidemiology

Context:

  • The Berlin Aging Study (BASE) investigated depression in individuals aged 70 and older.
  • A sample of 516 participants was assessed using standardized interviews and rating scales.

Purpose:

  • To determine the prevalence of depressive disorders in the elderly population.
  • To examine the relationship between depression and factors such as age, gender, cognitive function, and comorbidities.

Summary:

  • Prevalence rates included 4.8% for Major Depression and 9.1% for all DSM III-R depressive disorders.
  • No age-related increase in prevalence was found, but scores on the CES-D self-rating scale increased with age.
  • Depression was more common in females (10.3%) than males (5.6%), in individuals with multimorbidity (36.8%), and less common in married individuals.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Depressed individuals did not show significant cognitive impairment on the MMSE.
  • Suicidal ideation (1.2%) was linked to depressive disorders.
  • Undertreatment of depression was observed in 44% of cases, with low antidepressant (6%) and high benzodiazepine (40%) use.

    • Impact:

    • Findings highlight the significant prevalence of depression in older adults and identify key risk factors.
    • The study underscores the issue of undertreatment and inappropriate medication use in elderly depression.
    • Results provide crucial data for public health initiatives and clinical practice guidelines for geriatric mental health.