Number of depressed people over 65 same but antidepressant use rises

The proportion of people aged over 65 on antidepressants has more than doubled in two decades – according to new research led by the University of East Anglia and published in the journal British Journal of Psychiatry. Despite a rise in antidepressant use, there was little change in the number of older people diagnosed with […]

The proportion of people aged over 65 on antidepressants has more than doubled in two decades – according to new research led by the University of East Anglia and published in the journal British Journal of Psychiatry.

Despite a rise in antidepressant use, there was little change in the number of older people diagnosed with depression.

The findings are based on the Cognitive Function and Ageing Studies, conducted at two-time points – between 1991 and 1993, and between 2008 and 2011.

Researchers interviewed more than 15,000 over 65s in England and Wales to see whether the prevalence of depression and antidepressant use is changing.

Lead author Prof Antony Arthur, from UEA’s School of Health Sciences, said: “Depression is a leading cause of poor quality of life worldwide and we know that older people may be less likely than other age groups to go to their GP with symptoms of depression.

“Until now, little was known about how the relationship between the prevalence of depression and antidepressant use among older people has changed over time. The Cognitive Function and Ageing Studies led by the University of Cambridge have the ability to exam changes in the health needs of older people across generations based on random sampling and diagnostic methods held constant over time.

Among the key findings, the proportion of older people receiving anti-depressant medication more than doubled over two decades – from 4.2 per cent in the early nineties to 10.7 per cent 20 years later.

The estimated prevalence of depression among over 65s in the early 1990s was 7.9 per cent, compared to 6.8 per cent 20 years later.

Depression and antidepressant use were more common in women than men at both time points.

Depression was associated with living in a more deprived area.

The proportion of over 65s living in care homes declined, but the prevalence of depression in care homes remained unchanged – affecting around one in ten residents.

Across both time periods, most people with case-level depression were not on antidepressants, while most of those on antidepressants did not have depression.

Courtesy: eurekaalert