title: Anxiety and depressive disorders in elderly with chronic dizziness of vestibular origin.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dizziness is one of the most prevalent symptoms in the elderly. Anxiety and depression are common in dizzy adult patients, but there is scarce information about comorbidity between vestibular disturbances and psychiatric disorders in the aged.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the prevalence of anxiety and depression disorders in elderly with chronic dizziness of vestibular origin.
  
  
  METHODS
  Transversal study that used the Brazilian version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview 2.1 to assess anxiety and depressive disorders in elderly patients (≥ 60 years old) with chronic dizziness.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most of the 44 patients included in the study were female (88.6%) with a mean age of 71 years (± 7.5), 68.1% had experienced dizziness for 1 year or more. The most prevalent diagnosis was benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (52.3%). The prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder and specific phobias during life were 29.5% and 22.7%, respectively, and, in the last 12 months, 18.2% and 15.9%. There was no patient with panic disorder, agoraphobia or social phobia. The prevalence of depressive disorder during life was 45.4%, and, in the last 12 months, were 11.3%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Aged patients with chronic dizziness had high prevalence of some mental disorders.
authors.affiliation: Professional Master's Program in Body Balance Rehabilitation and Social Inclusion, Universidade Anhanguera de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. Electronic address: pelusoe@terra.com.br.
authors.forename: Érica Toledo Piza
authors.initials: ÉT
authors.lastname: Peluso
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Inês
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Quintana
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernando Freitas
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Ganança
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D004244:Dizziness / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence
keywords: Ansiedade; Anxiety; Depression; Depressão; Dizziness; Elderly; Idoso; Tontura