Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-24hb2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-28T18:50:47.781Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Depression in Old Age a Reconsideration of Cerebral Disease in Relation to Outcome

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

R. C. Baldwin*
Affiliation:
York House, Manchester Royal Infirmary
S. M. Benbow
Affiliation:
York House, Manchester Royal Infirmary
A. Marriott
Affiliation:
York House, Manchester Royal Infirmary
B. Tomenson
Affiliation:
University Department of Psychiatry, Rawnsley Building, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9BX
*
York House, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9BX

Abstract

In a prospective study, 32 patients with depressed mood and cerebral pathology were compared over one year with 66 depressed patients who were cerebrally intact. The hypothesis that the former would have a poorer outcome for depression was not confirmed, although the group with cerebral pathology had a significantly higher than expected death rate. Prognostic factors were identified only for the cerebrally intact group. Those who had major depression were more likely than those with minor depression to be given physical treatments, irrespective of which group they belonged to.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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

Abas, M. A., Sahakian, B. J. & Levy, R. (1990) Neuropsychological deficits and CT scan changes in elderly depressives. Psychological Medicine, 20, 507520.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Agbayewa, M. O. (1990) Outcome of depression in a geriatric medical day hospital following psychiatric consultation. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 5, 3339.Google Scholar
Alexopoulos, G. S., Young, R. C., Abrams, R. C., et al (1989) Chronicity and relapse in geriatric depression. Biological Psychiatry, 26, 551564.Google Scholar
American Psychiatric Association (1987) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd edn, revised) (DSM-III-R). Washington, DC: APA.Google Scholar
Baldwin, B. (1991) The outcome of depression in old age. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 6, 395400.Google Scholar
Baldwin, R. C. & Jolley, D. J. (1986) The prognosis of depression in old age. British Journal of Psychiatry, 149, 574583.Google Scholar
Blazer, D. (1991) Clinical features in depression in old age: a case for minor depression. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 4, 596599.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blessed, G., Tomlinson, B. E. & Roth, M. (1968) The association between quantitative measurements of dementia and of senile changes in the cerebral grey matter of elderly subjects. British Journal of Psychiatry, 114, 797811.Google Scholar
Burns, A., Jacoby, R. & Levy, R. (1990) Psychiatric phenomena in Alzheimer's disease. III: Disorders of mood. British Journal of Psychiatry, 157, 8186.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Burvill, P. W., Hall, W. D., Stampfer, H. G., et al (1991) The prognosis of depression in old age. British Journal of Psychiatry, 158, 6471.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ciompi, L. (1969) Follow-up studies on the evolution of former neurotic and depressives states in old age. Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 3, 90106.Google Scholar
Cole, M. G. (1983) Age of onset and course of primary depressive illness in the elderly. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 28, 102104.Google Scholar
Copeland, J. R. M., Dewey, M. E. & Giffiths-Jones, H. M. (1990) Dementia and depression in elderly persons: AGECAT compared with DSM-III and pervasive illness. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 5, 4751.Google Scholar
Cummings, J., Miller, B., Hill, M. A., et al (1987) Neuropsychiatric aspects of multi-infarct dementia and dementia of Alzheimer type. Archives of Neurology, 44, 389393.Google Scholar
Feighner, J. P., Robins, E., Guze, S. B., et al (1972) Diagnostic criteria for use in psychiatric research. Archives of General Psychiatry, 26, 5763.Google Scholar
Godber, C., Rosenvinge, H., Wilkinson, D., et al (1987) Depression in old age: prognosis after ECT. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 2, 1924.Google Scholar
Gordon, W. F. (1981) Elderly depressives: treatment and follow-up. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 26, 110113.Google Scholar
Hamilton, M. (1960) A rating scale for depression. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 23, 5662.Google Scholar
Hoch, A. & MacCurdy, J. T. (1922) The prognosis of involutional melancholia. Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry, 7, 117.Google Scholar
Jacoby, R. J., Levy, R. & Bird, J. M. (1981) Computed tomography and the outcome of affective disorder: a follow-up study of elderly patients. British Journal of Psychiatry, 139, 288292.Google Scholar
Kay, D. W. K. (1962) Outcome and cause of death in mental disorders of old age: a long term follow-up of functional and organic psychoses. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 38, 249276.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kay, D. W. K., Roth, M. & Hopkins, B. (1955) Affective disorders in the senium: their association with organic cerebral degeneration. Journal of Mental Science, 101, 302316.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kivela, S.-L., Pahkala, K. & Eronen, A. (1989) Depressive symptoms and signs that differentiate major and atypical depression from dysthymic disorder in elderly Finns. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 4, 7985.Google Scholar
Kivela, S.-L., Pahkala, K. & Laippala, P. (1991) A one-year prognosis of dysthymic disorder and major depression in old age. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 6, 8187.Google Scholar
Murphy, E. (1983) The prognosis of depression in old age. British Journal of Psychiatry, 142, 111119.Google Scholar
Pearlson, G. D., Rabins, P. V., Kim, W. S., et al (1989) Structural CT brain changes and cognitive deficits with and without reversible dementia (‘pseudodementia’). Psychological Medicine, 19, 573584.Google Scholar
Post, F. (1962) The Significance of Affective Symptoms in Old Age. Maudsley Monographs No. 10. London: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Post, F. (1972) The management and nature of depressive illnesses in late life: a follow-through study. British Journal of Psychiatry, 121, 393404.Google Scholar
Rabins, P. V., Harvis, K. & Koven, S. (1985) High fatality rates of late-life depression associated with cardiovascular disease. Journal of Affective Disorders, 9, 165167.Google Scholar
Rabins, P. V., Pearlson, G. D., Aylward, E., et al (1991) Cortical magnetic resonance imaging changes in elderly inpatients with major depression. American Journal of Psychiatry, 148, 617620.Google Scholar
Robinson, R. A. (1965) The organisation of a diagnostic and treatment unit for the aged in a mental hospital. In Psychiatric Disorders in the Aged, pp. 186205. Manchester: Geigy UK.Google Scholar
Rogers, D., Lees, A. J., Smith, E., et al (1987) Bradyphrenia in Parkinson's disease and psychomotor retardation in depressive illness. Brain, 110, 761776.Google Scholar
Roth, M. (1955) The natural history of mental disorder in old age. Journal of Mental Science, 101, 281301.Google Scholar
Sadavoy, J. & Reiman-Sheldon, E. (1983) General hospital geriatric psychiatric treatment: a follow-up study. Journal of the American Geriatric Society, 31, 200205.Google Scholar
Snowdon, J. (1990) The prevalence of depression in old age. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 5, 141144.Google Scholar
Yesavage, J. A., Brink, T. L., Rose, T. L., et al (1983) Development and validation of a geriatric depression screening scale: a preliminary report. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 17, 3749.Google Scholar
Zubenko, G. S., Sullivan, P., Nelson, J. P., et al (1990) Brain imaging abnormalities in mental disorders of late life. Archives of Neurology, 47, 11071111.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.