Citation

Kiliçoǧlu A. Anadolu Psikiyatri Derg. 2006; 7(1): 49-54.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Cumhuriyet Universitesi, Publisher ScopeMed-GESDAV)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

With growing elderly population, among psychiatric diseases especially depression gains importance in elderly. As depression is seen as a natural process in getting older, the treatment of the disease delays and complications like suicide may occur. When compared to the younger age group, depression among elderly population has different risk factors. In this age group, especially grief and physical illnesses are common and they increase the risk of depression. In older ages, social support is particularly important. And factors like decreased social support and living in a nursing home make the elderly prone to depression. Apart from these, it is reported that pathologic changes in brain, like strokes or more volume loss of frontal lobe when compared to healthy controls are seen in depression among elderly. Revealing all these biologic and psychosocial risk factors will help to increase quality of life in elderly by early intervention to depression. In this paper risk factors and etiology related to depression among elderly are reviewed.

Language: tr

Keywords

Risk factors; human; Depression; suicide; aged; quality of life; Elderly; aging; depression; stroke; social support; risk assessment; nursing home; risk factor; review; mental disease; treatment planning; disease predisposition; geriatric care; population research; social psychology; physical disease; Etiology; groups by age; grief; neuropathology; frontal lobe; brain size