Depression among older adults in day care centers in Patras, West Greece - An undetected disorder?

摘要

The purpose of the present study was to estimate a possible uiider-detection of depression in older adults of an urban area. Data on 239 members of "daycare centers for older people" (KAPI) in the municipality of Patras, West-Greece were collected by interview. A questionnaire was developed to collect basic demographic characteristics, including three questions from the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS), regarding self-reported and/or by a physician diagnosed depression. Furthermore, the Greek validated version of the short Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) was applied, to screen for depressive symptoms. According to GDS-15, 45% of the studied population have depressive symptoms (36% moderate, 9% severe), while having ever been affected with chronic depression reported 20.5%, of them 66.7% being diagnosed by a medical doctor. In 162 subjects who reported never have been affected by a depression and in 28 individuals who reported not to know if they have depression, depressive symptoms were observed in 27.7% and 60.7%, respectively, applying the GDS-15.