title: The prevalence of depression in a cohort of the very elderly.
abstract: In a community study of 1173 very elderly (> or = 77 years) subjects, a screening interview was followed by a CAMDEX diagnostic interview in a subsample of 461. The estimated prevalence of DSM-III-R major depressive disorder in the community sampled was 2.4% (95% CI 0.9%, 4.0%). Using CAMDEX criteria, the prevalence of depressive illness was 3.0% (95% CI 0.7%, 5.3%). 10% of those who had a diagnostic interview were rated as having depressive symptoms of mild or moderate severity. Of these, approximately 1/3 met diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder. The significance of these findings and the possible need for wider criteria for depression in the elderly are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Girling
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barkley
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Paykel
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gehlhaar
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brayne
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gill
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mathewson
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Huppert
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001569:Benzodiazepines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D001569:Benzodiazepines