Depression in Elderly Women
Thursday, May 8, 2008

A study on depression in older people showed that women are more likely to suffer from symptoms of depression. Dr. Ken Davis discusses this study in today’s 60 Second Housecall.

Older women are more likely to suffer from depression and remain depressed for a longer period of time than men, a new study shows.

Researchers say major depression affects 1 to 2 percent of the elderly population.  Up to 20 percent may suffer from significant symptoms of depression that require treatment.

In the study, researchers followed 754 men and women over age 70 for 18 months. Participants were screened for symptoms of depression, such as loss of appetite, sadness or sleep problems during the previous week.

The results showed more women were depressed than men.  Women were also more likely than men to suffer from depression at different time points.

The study also showed that older women were more likely to become depressed and less likely to recover from depression. Researchers say that finding was surprising because women more commonly received treatment for depression.

For North Mississippi Medical Center, I’m Dr. Ken Davis.