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Prevalence of depression in older people in England and Wales: the MRC CFA Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 April 2007

FIONA A. McDOUGALL ,
KARI KVAAL ,
FIONA E. MATTHEWS ,
EUGENE PAYKEL ,
PETER B. JONES ,
MICHAEL E. DEWEY  and
CAROL BRAYNE
FIONA A. McDOUGALL*
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Cambridge University, UK
KARI KVAAL
Affiliation:
Section of Epidemiology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK
FIONA E. MATTHEWS
Affiliation:
MRC Biostatistics Unit, Cambridge University, UK
EUGENE PAYKEL
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge University, UK
PETER B. JONES
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge University, UK
MICHAEL E. DEWEY
Affiliation:
Section of Epidemiology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK
CAROL BRAYNE
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Cambridge University, UK
*
*Address for correspondence: Ms. Fiona McDougall, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Forvie Site, Robinson Way, Cambridge CB2 0SR, UK. (Email: fm257@cam.ac.uk)
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Abstract

Background

Depression in old age is an important public health problem. The aims of this study were to report the prevalence of depression in the Medical Research Council Cognitive Function and Ageing Study (MRC CFAS), a community-based, cohort.

Method

Following screening of 13 004 people aged 65 and over from a population base, a stratified random subsample of 2640 participants received the Geriatric Mental State (GMS) examination and were diagnosed using the Automated Geriatric Examination for Computer-Assisted Taxonomy (AGECAT) algorithm.

Results

The prevalence of depression was 8·7% [95% confidence interval (CI) 7·3–10·2], increasing to 9·7% if subjects with concurrent dementia were included. Depression was more common in women (10·4%) than men (6·5%) and was associated with functional disability, co-morbid medical disorder, and social deprivation. Prevalence remained high into old age, but after adjustment for other associated factors, it was lower in the older age groups.

Conclusions

The prevalence of depression in the elderly is high and remains high into old age, perhaps due to increased functional disability.

Type
Original Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 37 , Issue 12 , December 2007 , pp. 1787 - 1795
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

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