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Symptomatic Depression in Elderly Medical Outpatients
Author(s) -
Borson Soo,
Barnes Robert A.,
Kukull Walter A.,
Okimoto Joseph T.,
Veith Richard C.,
Inui Thomas S.,
Carter William,
Raskind Murray A.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1986.tb04316.x
Subject(s) - medicine , depression (economics) , marital status , social isolation , normative , gerontology , disease , depressive symptoms , mental health , psychiatry , chronic disease , epidemiology , population , family medicine , anxiety , environmental health , philosophy , epistemology , economics , macroeconomics
The authors assessed the prevalence and demography of depressive symptoms, their association with specific chronic diseases, and their influence on health service use in a large sample of elderly men seen in a primary care setting. Twenty‐four percent of respondents reported clinically significant depressive symptoms; the prevalence of major depressive disorders was estimated at 10%, but only 1 % reported receiving mental health treatment by a specialist. Self‐reported marital separation or divorce and physical disability affecting employment were strongly associated with high depression scores, whereas the normative stresses of aging (widowhood, retirement, social isolation) were not. Only chronic lung disease was differentially associated with high depression scores, and this effect was weak. The authors discuss the implications of these findings for the design of comprehensive health services for the elderly with chronic disease.