Showing papers by "Helen Christensen published in 1993"

The prevalence of depressive disorders and the distribution of depressive symptoms in later life : a survey using Draft ICD-10 and DSM-III-R

Abstract: The point prevalence of depressive disorders was estimated in a sample of persons aged 70 years and over, which included both those living in the community and those in institutional settings. Lay interviewers administered the Canberra Interview for the Elderly to the subjects and their informants. The point prevalence of depressive episodes as defined by the Draft ICD-10 diagnostic criteria was 3.3%. The rate for DSM-III-R major depressive disorder was 1.0%. The latter prevalence rate is similar to those reported elsewhere for the elderly. Evidence is accumulating that older persons may indeed have low rates for depressive disorders at the formal case level. Possible reasons for this finding are offered. A scale for depressive symptoms, based exclusively on those specified in Draft ICD-10 and DSM-III-R, showed that the elderly do experience many depressive symptoms. Contrary to expectation, these did not increase with age. The number of depressive symptoms was correlated with neuroticism, poor physical health, disability and a history of previous depression. Attention now needs to be directed to the clinical significance of depressive symptoms below the case level in elderly persons.

The Association between Mental, Social and Physical Activity and Cognitive Performance in Young and Old Subjects

Abstract: The influence of mental, social and physical activity on fluid, crystallized and memory tasks was examined in 60 young and 56 elderly subjects using multiple regression Once the influence of education, age, health and psychiatric morbidity was removed, physical activity was associated with higher fluid test performance in old but not in young subjects Moreover, mental activity was associated with higher performance on fluid and crystallized tasks for subjects with low education but not for subjects with high education

The Canberra Interview for the Elderly: assessment of its validity in the diagnosis of dementia and depression

Abstract: The Canberra Interview for the Elderly (CIE) has been developed as a field instrument for identifying cases of dementia and depression, according to the diagnostic criteria in both draft ICD-10 and DSM-III-R. It has been designed to be administered by lay interviewers and responses are assembled algorithmically to derive diagnoses. The validity of the CIE was assessed using a sample of 75 elderly patients attending a hospital clinic. The CIE diagnoses were compared with clinical judgements made at the time of recruitment into the study and later by 3 clinicians using the information collected by the lay interviewers. Agreement between the CIE and the clinicians' diagnoses was as great as agreement between the clinicians themselves, meeting or exceeding agreement observed for comparable instruments designed for lay administration.

The disabled elderly living in the community: care received from family and formal services.

Abstract: Objectives Based on a community sample, to assess the reasons disabled elderly people need care, the type of formal services they receive, the characteristics of their carers and the degree of psychological morbidity in these carers. Design and setting A community survey of people aged 70 or more years living in Canberra or Queanbeyan. Survey participants were asked to nominate informants, who were interviewed about the subjects' state of health. The informants provided information on need for care, services received and the role of carers. Informants also reported on their own health, including symptoms of anxiety and depression. Results Elderly people needed care because of physical disability more often than behavioural disability. Those with physical disability received more formal services and more help from health professionals than those with behavioural disability. Contact with general practitioners was high for both disabled and non-disabled subjects. Carers of the physically disabled had raised levels of anxiety and symptoms of depression, and poorer self-rated health, but carers of the behaviourally disabled did not. Wives, daughters and husbands made up the biggest categories of carers and around two-thirds of carers were women. Conclusion Family carers play an important role in maintaining disabled elderly people in the community and this role is often stressful. Formal services have to be aimed as much at the needs of the carers as at the disabled people themselves.