Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-ph5wq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-26T23:39:59.827Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Social Origins of Depression in Old Age

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Elaine Murphy*
Affiliation:
Goodmayes Hospital, Ilford, Essex and The London Hospital (Whitechapel)

Summary

In a comparison between elderly depressed subjects and normal elderly people in the general population, an association was found between severe life events, major social difficulties, poor physical health and the onset of depression. Working class subjects within the general population had a higher incidence of depression and this appeared to be explained by their poorer health and greater social difficulties. Those elderly people who lacked a confiding relationship were more vulnerable to depression. Evidence is presented that the lack of a confidant was a reflection of life-long personality traits.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1982 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bergmann, K. (1972) Psychogeriatrics. In Medicine, (1st series), 9, 643–52.Google Scholar
Bond, J., Brooks, P., Carstairs, V. & Giles, L. (1980) The reliability of a Survey Psychiatric Assessment Schedule for the elderly. British Journal of Psychiatry, 137, 148–62.Google Scholar
Brown, G. W. & Harris, T. O. (1978) Social Origins of Depression. London: Tavistock.Google Scholar
Brown, G. W. Harris, T. O. & Peto, J. (1973) Life events and psychiatric disorder; Part 2; nature of the causal link. Psychological Medicine, 3, 159–76.Google Scholar
Feighner, J. P., Robins, E., Guze, S. B., Woodruff, R. A., Winokur, G. & Munoz, R. (1972) Diagnostic criteria for use in psychiatric research. Archives of General Psychiatry, 26, 5773.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kay, D. W. K. & Bergmann, K. (1966) Physical disability and mental health in old age. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 10, 312.Google Scholar
Kay, D. W. K. Beamish, P. & Roth, M. (1964) Old age disorders in Newcastle-on-Tyne. British Journal of Psychiatry, 110, 146–58.Google Scholar
Lowenthal, M. F. (1965) Antecedents of isolation and mental illness in old age. Archives of General Psychiatry, 12, 245–54.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Murphy, E. & Brown, G. W. (1980) Life events, psychiatric disturbance and physical illness. British Journal of Psychiatry, 136, 326–38.Google Scholar
Paykel, E. S., Myers, J. K., Dienelt, M. N., Klerman, G. L., Lindenthal, J. J. & Pepper, M. P. (1969) Life events and depression: a controlled study. Archives of General Psychiatry, 21, 753–60.Google Scholar
Post, F. (1969) The relationship to physical health of the affective illnesses in the elderly. 8th International Congress of Gerontology Proceedings, 1. Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Ridley, J. C., Bachrach, C. A. & Dawson, D. A. (1979) Recall and reliability of interview data from older women. Journal of Gerontology, 34, 99105.Google Scholar
Roth, M. & Kay, D. W. K. (1956) Affective disorder arising in the senium. II. Physical disability as an aetiological factor. Journal of Mental Science, 102, 141–50.Google Scholar
Wing, J. K., Cooper, J. E. & Sartorius, N. (1974) The Measurement and Classification of Psychiatric Symptoms. London: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Wing, J. K., Nixon, J. M., Mann, S. A. & Leff, J. P. (1977) Reliability of the PSE (ninth edition) used in a population study. Psychological Medicine, 7, 505–16.Google Scholar
Wing, J. K., Mann, S. A., Leff, J. P. & Nixon, J. M. (1978) The concept of a case in psychiatric population surveys. Psychological Medicine, 8, 203–17.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.