The aim of the investigation was to specify criteria of diagnosis of depressive disorders in elderly patients (60-67 years old) on the base of comparison of clinical-pathopsychological and psychopathological peculiarities with middle-aged persons (35-55 years old).

97 elderly patients (moderate depressive episode (F32.1) – 35 patients; recurrent depressive disorder (F33.0) – 38 patients; mixed anxiety depressive disorder (F41.2) – 24 patients) and 73 middle-aged patients (moderate depressive episode – 25 patients; recurrent depressive disorder – 27 patients; mixed anxiety depressive disorder – 21 patients) were included.

Elderly patients showed a slow continuous debut of the disease, manifested with somatic symptoms before all (88.66% vs. 23.28% of middle-aged patients). Elderly patients demonstrated a high anxiety level concerning their somatic conditions (80.41% vs. 20.54% in middle-aged patients). 76.28% of elderly patients had a high anxiety level concerning daily life situations, when the patient perceive all negatively, vs. only 15.06% of middle-aged patients. A connection between depressive mood and somatic conditions occurred in 83.5% of elderly patients vs. 16.43% of middle-aged patients. Elderly patients more often (78.35%) demonstrated autoaggressive behavior (thinking, intentions, acts) than middle-aged patients (30.14%). Differences on all the parameters mentioned above were statistically significant (p<0.001). Elderly patients had also high levels of introversion and nervous-psychic instability (average scores on these scales were 14.8 and 47.2 vs. 16.7 and 59.6 in middle-aged patients; p<0.05).

Taking into account these peculiarities, a proposed approach contributes to an early diagnosis and effective treatment of this significant group of patients.