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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Outcome of depression in later life in primary care
— longitudinal cohort study with three years' follow-up | | Author(s) | E Licht-Strunk, H W J Van Marwijk, T Hoekstra |
| Journal title | British Medical Journal, vol 338, no 7692, 21 February 2009 |
| Pages | pp 463-466 |
| Source | www.bmj.com |
| Keywords | Depression ; General practice ; Longitudinal surveys ; Netherlands. |
| Annotation | Depression was studied in 234 patients age 55+ from 32 general practices in West Friesland, the Netherlands, to determine the duration of depressive episodes, recovery over time, and predictors of prognosis. The authors used structured interviews (primary care evaluation of mental disorders according to diagnoses in 'Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders', 4th ed), and a measure of severity of symptoms (Montgomery Asberg depression rating scale). The median duration of a major depressive episode was 18 months. 35% of depressed patients recovered within one year, 60% within 2 years, and 68% within 3 years. A poor outcome was associated with severity of depression at baseline, a family history of depression, and poorer physical functioning. During follow-up, functional status remained limited in patients with chronic depression, but not in those who had recovered. Depression in patients aged 55+ in primary care has a poor prognosis. Using readily available prognostic factors (for example, severity of the index episode, a family history of depression, and functional decline) could help direct treatment to those at higher risk of a poor prognosis. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-090406210 A |
| Classmark | ENR: L5: 3J: 76H * |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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