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Depressed Elderly May Die Younger

Elderly people with physical ills are highly likely to suffer from depression which in turn greatly increases the likelihood of early death, report University of Liverpool researchers.

In a project involving more than 300 elderly people who had been discharged from hospital, 17% were found to have previously undiagnosed depression and of that figure, 7% died within two years of leaving hospital.

The study also showed that 41% of elderly people who have depression are often later re-admitted to hospital with other illnesses, possibly a result of not receiving appropriate treatment for their depression.

The participants, all aged over 75, were interviewed regularly over a two-year period following discharge from hospital. Factors including physical illness, breathing capacity and social activity were found to impact on the prevalence of depression and consequently the likelihood of re-admission to medical care and early death.

The study further showed that both patients and doctors often mistook the symptoms of depression for other ills or signs of aging. Researchers thus hope to create new projects which would help identify signs of depression in elderly patients before they are discharged from the hospital.

Unfortunately, many of the signs of geriatric depression overlap with those of dementia. The Geriatric Depression Scale is a commonly used guide to identifying depression in elderly adults.

Geriatric Depression Scale

Choose the best answer for how you have felt over the past week:

1. Are you basically satisfied with your life? YES / NO

2. Have you dropped many of your activities and interests? YES / NO

3. Do you feel that your life is empty? YES / NO

4. Do you often get bored? YES / NO

5. Are you in good spirits most of the time? YES / NO

6. Are you afraid that something bad is going to happen to you? YES / NO

7. Do you feel happy most of the time? YES / NO

8. Do you often feel helpless? YES / NO

9. Do you prefer to stay at home, rather than going out and doing new things? YES / NO

10. Do you feel you have more problems with memory than most? YES / NO

11. Do you think it is wonderful to be alive now? YES / NO

12. Do you feel pretty worthless the way you are now? YES / NO

13. Do you feel full of energy? YES / NO

14. Do you feel that your situation is hopeless? YES / NO

15. Do you think that most people are better off than you are? YES / NO

Scoring
1. NO 2. YES 3. YES 4. YES 5. YES NO 6. YES 7. YES 8. YES 9. YES 10. YES 11.NO 12. YES 13. YES NO 14. YES 15. YES

Although differing sensitivities and specificities have been obtained across studies, for clinical purposes a score > 5 points is suggestive of depression and should warrant a follow-up interview. Scores > 10 are almost always depression.

Press Release: Study reveals depressed elderly risk early death
ABSTRACT: Survival in the community of the very old depressed, discharged from medical inpatient care