The prevalence and recognition of major depression among low-level aged care residents with and without cognitive impairment

Abstract

Previous research has demonstrated a high level of depression in nursing homes. The current study was designed to determine the prevalence of depression, using a structured diagnostic interview, among older people with and without mild-moderate cognitive impairment residing in low-level care facilities. The results demonstrated that, consistent with previous research in nursing homes, 16.9% of older people were diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Less than half of these cases had been detected or treated. Individuals with moderate cognitive impairment were more likely to be depressed, but cognitive impairment did not appear to act as a strong impediment to the detection of depression by general practitioners. A low awareness of their use of antidepressant medications was demonstrated among older people prescribed this treatment, including those with normal cognitive function. Reasons for the poor recognition of depression among older people are discussed.

Depression in Dutch homes for the elderly: under‐diagnosis in demented residents?

“…To our knowledge, only two studies compared demented and nondemented residents on prevalence of depressive symptoms or disorders (Janzing et al, 2002;Davison et al, 2007). In an Australian study, major depressive disorders were more prevalent among cognitively impaired residents (27.5%) compared to cognitive unimpaired persons (15.5%) (Davison et al, 2007).…”

Neurocognitive and Affective Baseline Profile of the Elderly Individuals Living in Long-Term Care Nursing Home Facility: a New Brunswick Study

“…The fact that we did not see much depressive symptoms, to our surprise, could be of multiple folds: A) We used an objective measure to capture depressive symptoms, and patients with dementia may have had anosognosia (that we did not control for) [33], thus limiting recognition and eventual reporting of depressive symptoms; B)…”

Psychotropic Medication Use in Older People

“…Available evidence suggests that the rates of use of psychotropic drugs in older people are high, particularly for those in residential care settings. 1 The evidence also suggests that there are examples where the targeting and review of this treatment is of unclear quality. This is of concern given the well documented increased potential for adverse effects with most psychotropic drugs when used in older people.…”