Anxiety Symptoms in Older Adults with Depression Are Associated with Suicidality

Abstract

Objective: Anxiety symptoms are common in older adults with depression, but whether severe anxiety is associated with poorer outcomes of depression is unknown. The objective of the present study was to examine the association between severity of anxiety and severity of depression and physical illness, suicidality, and physical and cognitive functioning in older adults with depression. Methods: We included 218 older adults with diagnoses of a depressive disorder according to the ICD-10 criteria; their mean age (SD) was 75.6 (7.2), and 67.0% were women. The Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI) was used to measure the severity of anxiety symptoms. The Montgomery-Aasberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) was used to assess the severity of depression. We obtained information on the level of functioning with the Physical Self-Maintenance Scale (PSMS) by Lawton and Brody and on cognition with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Clock-Drawing Test (CDT). Physical health was determined based on information regarding falls and weight loss and an assessment of each patient’s general medical condition. The treating physician evaluated current suicidality in a comprehensive and standardized way. Results: Higher GAI scores were significantly associated with scores on the MADRS (β = 0.233, p = 0.002) and suicidality (β = 0.206, p = 0.006). Levels of physical or cognitive functioning were not associated with the GAI score. Conclusion: The severity of anxiety symptoms was associated with the severity of depression and suicidality in older adults with depressive disorders. The results could indicate a need to focus greater attention on the treatment of anxiety and suicidality in older patients with depression.

Norwegian version of the rating anxiety in dementia scale (RAID-N): a validity and reliability study

“…The strongest association of anxiety was found with depression symptoms, consistent with other studies (Bendixen et al, 2018;Creighton et al, 2017;Creighton et al, 2018a;, and is discussed in the following section of comorbid anxiety and depression.…”

“…The studies of Schoevers et al and Almeida et al indicate that the long-term prognosis is poor among older people with both disorders (Almeida et al, 2012;. Besides, a recent study found that the severity of anxiety symptoms in older people with depression is associated with suicidality (Bendixen, Engedal, Selbaek, & Hartberg, 2018).…”

The question of preoperative anxiety and depression in older patients and family protectors

“…In other words, older patients with a depression score of 6 or higher had a higher anxiety score compared to those with a depression score less than 5. Depression and anxiety are two common mental health concerns among older patients [ 19 ]. These results suggest that it is important to pay greater attention to interventions in both anxiety and depression in older patients during the preoperative period.…”

Factors associated with self-rated health in a Norwegian population of older people participating in a preventive home visit program: a cross-sectional study

“…The medical diagnoses chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hearth failure, stroke and cancer were chosen based on that they are the most common medical diagnoses which causes death in the Norwegian population 65 years and older [ 29 ]. Anxiety was included because anxiety and depression are often related to suicide among older [ 30 ], which is increasing in Norway [ 29 ]. Osteoporosis and arthrosis were included due to that these diagnoses are related to pain and reduced movement patterns and can had an influence on a person’s life [ 31 ].…”