A Prospective Study on Prevalence of Depression Among Elderly Patients Attending the Psychiatry OPD of a Tertiary Care Hospital in North India

ABSTRACT

Background: Cognitive impairment is a common clinical issue among elderly patients suffering with depression and has a more obscure etiology. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of cognitive impairment and depression in geriatric patients attending Psychiatric OPD. Methods: This Prospective cross-sectional study was carried out on elderly people (n=330) attending the Psychiatry OPD of Teerthanker Mahaveer Medical College and Hospital, Moradabad. The cognitive function and depression were assessed by applying standardized Mini-Mental State Examination of Folstein (MMSE) and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), respectively. Results: Prevalence of cognitive impairment was 35.71% (36.41% women, 24.5% men), whereas the prevalence of depression was 45.45% (51.02% women, 39.89% men) significant differences were observed. Conclusion: Cognitive impairment and depression were found to be more prevalent in the females than in the males. Hence, psychiatrist should pay special attention for early detection and treatment of depressive symptoms in elderly people with cognitive impairment.