Depression More Likely In Older Women Than In Older Men

According
to a recent report in the Archives of General Psychiatry,
older women
are more likely to become depressed and to remain depressed than older
men, but less likely to die while depressed.



Lisa C. Barry of the Yale University School of Medicine and colleagues
performed the study in light of the fact that the prevalence of
depression is disproportionately higher in older women than men, and
the reason is unknown. They note that one to two percent of older
adults living in the community experience major depression and as many
as two out of every ten experience symptoms of depression. It is
uncertain as to why older women are more likely than older men to
experience these symptoms.



The researchers used a sample of about 750 individuals age 70 and older
(averaging 78.4 years) in 1998. Participants provided demographic
information, took cognitive tests, and reported any medical conditions
at the beginning of the study and every 18 months over a period of 72
months. There was a preliminary screening for symptoms of depression
during the previous week such as lack of appetite, feeling sad, or
problems related to sleep.



The analysis revealed that after controlling for demographic traits,
"women had a higher likelihood of transitioning from non-depressed to
depressed and a lower likelihood of transitioning from depressed to
non-depressed or death." About 35.7% of the participants were depressed
at some point, and 17.8% remained depressed during two consecutive
follow-up periods, 11.2% during three consecutive follow-up periods,
6.3% during four, and 4.5% during all five follow-up
evaluations. The researchers found that more women than men were
depressed at each 18-month evaluation, and women were more likely than
men to experience depression at later follow-ups.



The authors maintain that their findings provide strong evidence that
depression is more persistent in older women than older men due to the
observed consistency over the four time intervals. However, women are
more likely to receive medications or other treatment for depression,
and so the results are somewhat surprising. Barry and colleagues state
that future research should focus on whether or not women are less
likely to respond to conventional treatment or they receive different
treatment than men for late-life depression. They conclude by noting
that "nearly 40 percent of the depressed participants in this study
were depressed during at least two consecutive time points,
highlighting the need to initiate and potentially maintain
antidepressant treatment after resolution of the initial depressive
episode."



Higher Burden of Depression Among Older Women: The Effect of
Onset, Persistence, and Mortality Over Time

Lisa C. Barry, Heather G. Allore, Zhenchao Guo, Martha L. Bruce, Thomas
M. Gill


Archives of General Psychiatry, Volume 65, No. 2,
pp172-178, February 2008

Click
Here to See Abstract Online



Written by: Peter M Crosta