title: [Depression in the elderly: are doctors investigating it?].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether doctors are investigating depression in the elderly.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional population-based survey, including individuals aged 60 years or above, resident in the urban area of Pelotas, Brazil. The sample was selected using a multiple-stage protocol based on Brazilian census data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We interviewed 583 subjects (losses and refusals: 4.7%). We found that 76.6% of the subjects were not asked if they were feeling sad or depressed in their previous medical consultation. Investigation of depression was significantly higher among women and among those with higher depression score. Among women, sadness or depression was investigated in 28.7% of the previous consultations, while among men, the equivalent percentage was 14.8% (PR=1.93; p<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Depression is not routinely investigated in clinical settings. Doctors should be alerted and trained on the monitoring of depression in this age group.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Psiquiatria, FAMED/UFRGS, Brazil. fgazalle@terra.com.br
authors.forename: Fernando Kratz
authors.initials: FK
authors.lastname: Gazalle
authors.forename: Pedro Curi
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Hallal
authors.forename: Maurício Silva de
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Lima
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution