engleski

DEPRESSION IN ELDERLY – A BIGGER PROBLEM THEN WE THINK

Introduction Depression is the most common mental disorder in old age with a major impact on quality of life, morbidity and mortality. About 20% of the elderly suffer from some of the symptoms of depres-sion (WHO-Report). In daily work, various tests are used in terms of screening to detect suspected depressive disorder. One of the most commonly used tests is the so-called. Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15). The aim of our study was to determine the incidence of depressive symptoms in people hospita-lized in the geriatric ward. Materials and methods A retrospective analysis included a total of 473 subjects (170 men and 303 women), with an ave-rage age of 83.8 years (minimum 65 years, maximum 101 years). GDS-15 was tested in all subjects (a positive test implies a GDS-15 score of ≥6). The results obtained were then statistically processed. Results Of the total of 473 subjects, 105 (22.2%) were positively tested for depressive symptoms (34 men and 71 women). Most patients live in the usual home setting (79.4% men and 74.6% women). In women, the symptoms are mostly present in women living alone (widowed, divorced or unmarried women) - 49 women (69.0%). The male respondents were mostly men living in a partner community (22 men - 64.7%) Conclusion The results obtained confirm the high incidence of depressive symptoms in the patients hospita- lized in the geriatric ward. Therefore, the routine screening is necessary to identify the depressive symptoms to detect and diagnose depression in order to begin treatment for such patients on time. In addition to basic medical diagnosis, which is the main indication for referring patients to geriatric ward, depression is certainly a diagnosis that accompanies patients on discharge to home treatment and requires specific preparation of patients for discharge from hospital and continued outpatient treatment.

depression, elderly, geriatric depression scale

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