Somatic symptoms in old age depression

ABSTRACT

Frequent somatic symptoms in old age depression lead to the label of 'masked depression' and result in detection and undertreatment of morbidity in this age group. Depressive symptomatology of 80 elderly [age years and above] was compared with that of 118 young depressives [age range 20-39 years] at psychiatry department of Mayo Hospital. Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and Bradford Somatic Inventory were used to obtain somatic symptoms profile of the patients. The elderly depressives did not report more symptoms, however, they had a specific pattern of somatic symptoms easily distinguishable from that of their younger coon parts. With such a characteristic pattern of somatic symptoms in mind, clinicians can help minimize the on detection and undertreatment of old age depression