Recherche en gérontologie et en gériatrie

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Integrated Literature Review of Depression in Elderly People

Ya Lie Ku and Li-Yu Chung

The authors conducted a literature review of the depression findings of systematic reviews and meta-analyses in elderly people. The defining characteristics of depression in elderly people include 2-5 symptoms, namely sleep disorders, changed weight, psychomotor retardation, fatigue, and feelings of worthlessness or guilt within 2 weeks; the critical symptom is either low mood or loss of interest in usual activities. In addition, elderly people with an abnormal status for the items of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) may have experienced recurrent falls twice during the past 2 years. The related factors of depression in elderly people include demographic, physical, psychological, mental, and social factors. Colasanti et al. in 2010 identified four major self-rating depression scales for elderly people: Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D), and GDS. CES-D is a valid scale that can be used to distinguish major depression from emotional disorders among elderly people, and it can also be used in pharmacological trials. The interventions for depression in elderly people include pharmacological and nonpharmacological methods. Regarding pharmacological treatment, the evidence-based literature has demonstrated that duloxetine taken for 8 weeks can alleviate recurrent major depression in elderly people; at the same time, healthcare professionals should pay attention to some side effects. Moreover, herbal medicine has been found to only alleviate post-stroke depression in elderly people. Nonpharmacological interventions are exercise therapies such as yoga; alternative therapies such as touching, intimate massage, music, art, and nature; and cognitive therapy, reminiscence therapy, and psychotherapy.