Year: 2010
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Depression is characterized by depressed mood, loss of interest, rumination, feelings of guilt and \nshame, suicidal ideation, disturbed sleep and loss of appetite (1). It is associated with limitations \nin physical and social functioning and places a severe burden on patients and relatives (2). \nCompared to depression in middle age, late-life depression has some specifi c characteristics. \nDepressive syndromes that escape the strict criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical \nManual of Psychiatric Disorders (DSM) for major depressive disorder and dysthymia are \nmore common in the elderly (3-5). Many elderly have only some symptoms of depression. \nSuch subthreshold depressive syndromes are considered clinically relevant, because they \nare related to increased disability and mortality, as are depressive disorders that meet DSM \ncriteria (6-10). Moreover, depression is more common in the old age than in midlife. Th e \nprevalence ranges from 9 to 18 % in the general elderly population, to more than 30% in \nlong-term care residents (3, 5, 11, 12). Depression in late life often has a chronic course (3, \n5, 11, 13) Only 60% of patients recover in one year and 70-80% in two years (7, 9, 14-19). \nA number of risk factors for depression has been established, which predispose, precipitate, \nor perpetuate the disease. Female gender, adverse life events, and poverty are the \nmost well known. Late-life depression has some additional specifi c risk factors. Depressive \nsymptoms are very much related to cognitive decline, which occur as part of neurodegenerative \nbrain diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, an
Author: Hendrika J. Luijendijk
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1820106332