Depressive Symptoms Increase Past Age 65

the Psychiatry Advisor take:

As people grow older, they may be more likely to develop symptoms of depression.

Helena Chui, PhD, of the University of Bradford, England, and colleagues took part in a 15-year project that observed more than 2,000 older Australians. Although prior studies have looked at depressive symptoms with age, the new study is the first to examine depression above age 85.

Although women initially reported more depressive symptoms than men, men had a faster increase in symptoms at an older age, so much so that the difference between the genders was reversed at age 80, the researchers reported in the journal Psychology and Aging.

New medical conditions, especially chronic ones, and the approach of death factored into the rising depression rate. In addition, quality of life is a major contributor to depression in the elderly population as about 50% of study participants suffered from arthritis. Those without arthritis were far less likely to report depressive symptoms.

“It’s the first study to tell us depressive symptoms continue to increase throughout old age,” Chui said in a statement. “It seems that we need to look carefully at the provision of adequate services to match these needs, particularly in the area of mental health support and pain management.”