Current studentsExisting staffContact us
 

The community prevalence of depression in older Australians

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorPirkis, J.
dc.contributor.authorPfaff, J.
dc.contributor.authorWilliamson, M.
dc.contributor.authorTyson, O.
dc.contributor.authorStocks, N.
dc.contributor.authorGoldney, R.
dc.contributor.authorDraper, B.
dc.contributor.authorSnowdon, J.
dc.contributor.authorLautenschlager, N.
dc.contributor.authorAlmeida, O.
dc.date.issued2009
dc.descriptionCopyright © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. ScienceDirect® is a registered trademark of Elsevier B.V.
dc.description.abstractObjective To estimate the prevalence of depression among older adults in Australia. Method All general practitioners in Australia's five most populous states who satisfied certain eligibility criteria (e.g., sufficient weekly working hours, sufficient numbers of elderly patients) were invited to participate. Those who consented were asked to identify all of their patients aged 60+ and invite them (either directly or via the study team) to complete a questionnaire. The questionnaire identified those who had experienced ‘clinically significant depression’ and those who had experienced a ‘major depressive episode’ in the past two weeks, via the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Consenting patients completed the questionnaire and returned it to the study team in a reply-paid envelope. Results In total, 22,251 patients returned questionnaires. Overall, the age-adjusted rate of clinically significant depression was 8.2% (95%CI = 7.8%–8.6%), with the age-adjusted rates for males being 8.6% (95%CI = 7.9%–9.2%) and for females being 7.9% (95%CI = 7.4%–8.4%). The overall, male and female age-adjusted rates for a major depressive episode were 1.8% (95%CI = 1.6%–2.0%), 1.9% (95%CI = 1.6%–2.2%) and 1.7% (95%CI = 1.5%–2.0%), respectively. Discussion Our study suggests that depression among older people is a major public health problem. The above estimates provide guidance for efficient planning of services, and establish a baseline against which preventive and treatment interventions can be assessed. Armed with this information, we can progress efforts at reducing this major health problem and its consequences
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityJane Pirkis, Jon Pfaff, Michelle Williamson, Orla Tyson, Nigel Stocks, Robert Goldney, Brian Draper, John Snowdon, Nicola Lautenschlager and Osvaldo P. Almeida
dc.identifier.citationJournal of Affective Disorders, 2009; 115(1-2):54-61
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.jad.2008.08.014
dc.identifier.issn0165-0327
dc.identifier.issn1573-2517
dc.identifier.orcidStocks, N. [0000-0002-9018-0361]
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2440/50562
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherElsevier Science BV
dc.relation.grantNHMRC
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2008.08.014
dc.subjectDepression
dc.subjectPrevalence
dc.subjectElderly
dc.titleThe community prevalence of depression in older Australians
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

Files

Collections

Genetics publications