05/31/2002 By Elda Hauschildt
Expanding public awareness and doctors’ increased use of a simple screening tool could help improve recognition of depression in the elderly.
Greek researchers suggest the use of experimental items such as patient videos in public-awareness campaigns could help both patients and relatives identify depression in older people.
They say depression often goes unrecognised generally and this is particularly true among the elderly.
Investigators from the Hellenic Gerontologic and Geriatric Association, Lundbeck Hellas SA, Eginition Hospital and the Centre for Mental Health in Athens prepared presentations on depression in the elderly for 682 members of various senior citizen centres.
Participants completed a four-question (GDS-4) scale on risk factors for depression in older people.
They were also asked if they had raised a question about depression during a recent visit to a doctor. The researchers say 35.8 percent of participants showed depressive symptoms on the GDS-4, but the rate of recognition of depression within the group was low (17.3
percent).
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