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Depression and anxiety in medically unwell older adults: prevalence and short-term course

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2009

Christina Bryant ,
Henry Jackson  and
David Ames
Christina Bryant*
Affiliation:
School of Behavioural Science, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Henry Jackson
Affiliation:
School of Behavioural Science, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
David Ames
Affiliation:
University of Melbourne and National Ageing Research Institute, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Victoria, Australia
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Dr Christina Bryant, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology, School of Behavioural Science, Redmond Barry Building, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia. Phone: +61 3 8344 6371; Fax: +61 3 9347 6618. Email: cbryant@unimelb.edu.au.
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Abstract

Background: The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence and short-term course of depression and anxiety in a sample of hospitalized, medically unwell older adults, using both a symptom measure and a diagnostic instrument.

Methods: One hundred participants were recruited from in-patients in a geriatric hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Anxiety and depression were assessed shortly after admission, and again two months later, using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Geriatric Mental Status Schedule/ AGECAT diagnostic system.

Results: At Time 1, 60% of the sample exhibited anxiety symptoms at a sub-case level, while 16% had anxiety symptoms at a syndrome case level, whereas 48% of the participants had depression at syndrome level. The HADS and AGECAT were concordant with respect to anxiety for 78% of participants, but agreement was lower for depression; AGECAT identified a further 36 syndrome cases of depression not deemed depressed by the HADS. There was a significant decrease in overall rates of both depression and anxiety symptoms and syndromes from Time 1 to Time 2.

Conclusion: This study confirms the findings of previous research with respect to the high prevalence of depression in physically unwell older adults, and extends knowledge about anxiety in this group. Symptoms of anxiety are even more common than symptoms of depression in this group, especially around the time of admission to hospital. Over a relatively short time period, there is a marked reduction in symptoms, but levels of anxiety and depression remain high.

Keywords

anxietydepressionprevalenceolder adultsphysical illness
Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 21 , Issue 4 , August 2009 , pp. 754 - 763
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2009

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