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One-week prevalence of depressive symptoms and psychotropic drug treatments among old people with different levels of cognitive impairment living in institutional care: changes between 1982 and 2000

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 May 2010

Hugo Lövheim ,
Ellinor Bergdahl ,
Per-Olof Sandman ,
Stig Karlsson  and
Yngve Gustafson
Hugo Lövheim*
Affiliation:
Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation, Geriatric Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
Ellinor Bergdahl
Affiliation:
Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation, Geriatric Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
Per-Olof Sandman
Affiliation:
Department of Nursing, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
Stig Karlsson
Affiliation:
Department of Nursing, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
Yngve Gustafson
Affiliation:
Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation, Geriatric Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: H. Lövheim, Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation, Geriatric Medicine, Umeå University, SE-901 85 Umeå, Sweden. Phone: +46 90 785 88 59; Fax: +46 90 13 06 23. Email: hugo.lovheim@germed.umu.se.
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Abstract

Background: Dementia and depression are common in advanced age, and often co-exist. There are indications of a decreased prevalence of depressive symptoms among old people in recent years, supposedly because of the manifold increase in antidepressant treatment. Whether the prevalence of depressive symptoms has decreased among people in different stages of dementia disorders has not yet been investigated.

Methods: A comparison was undertaken of two cross-sectional studies, conducted in 1982 and 2000, comprising 6864 participants living in geriatric care units in the county of Västerbotten, Sweden. Depressive symptoms were measured using the Multi-Dimensional Dementia Assessment Scale (MDDAS), and the cognitive score was measured with Gottfries’ cognitive scale. Drug data were obtained from prescription records.

Results: There was a significant decrease in depressive symptom score between 1982 and 2000 in all cognitive function groups except for the group with moderate cognitive impairment. Antidepressant drug use increased in all cognitive function groups.

Conclusion: The prevalence of depressive symptoms decreased between 1982 and 2000, in all levels of cognitive impairment except moderate cognitive impairment. This might possibly be explained by the depressive symptoms having different etiologies in different stages of a dementia disorder, which in turn might not be equally susceptible to antidepressant treatment.

Keywords

depressiondementianursing homeold ageAlzheimer's diseaseSSRI
Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 22 , Special Issue 7: Focus on mental health issues in long-term-care homes , November 2010 , pp. 1154 - 1160
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2010

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