학술논문

Prevalence of depressive symptoms among elderly in the city of Tremembé, Brazil: Preliminary findings of an epidemiological study
Document Type
article
Source
Dementia & Neuropsychologia, Vol 7, Iss 3, Pp 252-257
Subject
depression
elderly
prevalence
Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
RC321-571
Language
English
ISSN
1980-5764
Abstract
ABSTRACT Depression is a heterogeneous mental disease classified as a set of disorders, which manifest with a certain duration, frequency and intensity. The prevalence of depression in the elderly ranges from 0.5 to 16%. Objective To establish, in an epidemiological study, the prevalence of significant depressive symptoms in the population aged 60 years or older. Methods: Results of a cross-sectional epidemiological study, involving home visits, being carried out in the city of Tremembé, Brazil, were reported. The sample was randomly selected by drawing 20% of the population over 60 years from each of the city's census sectors. In this single-phase study, the assessment included clinical history, physical and neurological examination, cognitive evaluation, the Cornell scale and the Patient Health Questionnaire for psychiatric symptoms. Scores greater than or equal to 8 on the Cornell scale were taken to indicate the presence of depressive symptoms. Results: A total of 455 elders were assessed, and of these 169 (37.1%) had clinically significant depressive symptoms (CSDS). Depression prevalence was higher among women (p