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A depression screening day for the elderly in a general practice setting

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Walter Forbes
Affiliation:
Ross Clinic, Royal Cornhill Hospital, Cornhill Road, Aberdeen AB9 2ZH
Diana E. Tracy
Affiliation:
Ross Clinic, Royal Cornhill Hospital, Cornhill Road, Aberdeen AB9 2ZH
Ross J. Hamilton
Affiliation:
Ross Clinic, Royal Cornhill Hospital, Cornhill Road, Aberdeen AB9 2ZH
John M. Eagles*
Affiliation:
Ross Clinic, Royal Cornhill Hospital, Cornhill Road, Aberdeen AB9 2ZH
*
Correspondence
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Abstract

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Unrecognised and untreated depression is common, particularly in the elderly. This paper describes an attempt to offer screening for depression to 4,500 people over the age of 60. Only two people attended and both were depressed. This may have related to the arrangements for screening, to the symptoms of depression, to inadequate publicity or to characteristics of the elderly population. Others contemplating screening for depression in elderly populations are advised to adopt a different methodology.

Type
Original Papers
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1995

References

Lindesay, J. Briggs, K. & Murphy, E. (1989) The Guy's/Age Concern Survey: prevalence rates of cognitive impairment Depression and anxiety in an urban community. British Journal of Psychiatry, 165, 317329.Google Scholar
Wilson, J. M. G & Jungner, E. (1968) Principles and Practice of Screening for Disease. Public Health Papers, No 34, Geneva: World Health Organization.Google Scholar
Zigmond, A. S. & Snaith, R. P. (1963) The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 67, 361370.Google Scholar
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