Determination of the prevalence of depression among the elderly using the Geriatric Depression Scale
Mary Grace
T.
Valentin1*,
Karla Mae
D.
Aguirre1,
Kristina
O.
Ante1,
Carlos Miguel
Calderon1,
Andrea Tracy
G.
Cunanan1,
Hannah Lorraine
O.
Lim1,
Funny Jovis
P.
Malasan1,
Katrina Chelsea
B.
Manlutac1,
Danielle Ann
N.
Novilla1,
Marianne
R.
Oliveros1,
Edwin Monico
C.
Wee1 and
Peter
F.
Quilala1
-
1
University of Santo Tomas, Faculty of Pharmacy, Philippines
Background: Geriatric mental health is emerging as an acute public health concern. In the older population, mental disorders, such as depression,can significantly affect one’s physical health and prognosis of a disease. Depression, a silent disorder, largely remains untreated because health assessment is generally focused on the physical medical conditions of patients. This study sought to determine the incidence of depression in the geriatric population of an elderly community in Quiapo, Manila, Philippines.
Materials and Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study of 35 subjects that are part of the geriatric population (52 years old and above) in St. John of God Elderly Association, was conducted via survey using the Geriatric Depression Scale Form (GDSF). On August 9, 2014, all the respondents were interviewed using the GDSF. The questionnaire consists of 15 close-ended questions and there are corresponding points for each answer. A total of greater than five implies depression of the elderly subject. The respondents are predominantly female (34 females and 1 male) with a mean age of 67.2 years old.
Results: Only 31.43% (11 out of 35) exhibited GDSF scores that are greater than five (5) which indicates depression. Results show that the incidence of depression occur in 11 out of 35 respondents (31.43%). Symptoms of depression are infrequent among Filipino geriatrics in the selected community in Quiapo, Manila. Still, in the study, the GDSF proved to be an accessible tool in the assessment of depression.
References
Anxiety and Depression Association of America. (2015). Depression. Retrieved from: http://www.adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/depression
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/aging/mentalhealth/depression.htm on September 25, 2015
Greenberg, S. (2012). The Geriatric Depressions Scale (GDS). Try This: Best Practices in Nursing
Care to Older Adults (4). Retrieved from on http://consultgerirn.org/uploads/File/
Josef, C. (2014, October 12). Prevalence of depression in the Philippines. Business Mirror. Retrieved from: http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/prevalence-of-depression-in-the-philippines/
World Health Organization. (2015). Mental health and older adults. Retrieved from:
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs381/en/
Keywords:
Depression,
Geriatric Depression Scale,
Geriatric population,
Prevalence,
Mental Health
Conference:
ASP2015 - 25th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Psychophysiology, Sydney, Australia, 2 Dec - 4 Dec, 2015.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation
Topic:
Psychophysiology
Citation:
Valentin
MT,
Aguirre
KD,
Ante
KO,
Calderon
C,
Cunanan
AG,
Lim
HO,
Malasan
FP,
Manlutac
KB,
Novilla
DN,
Oliveros
MR,
Wee
EC and
Quilala
PF
(2015). Determination of the prevalence of depression among the elderly using the Geriatric Depression Scale.
Conference Abstract:
ASP2015 - 25th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Psychophysiology.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2015.219.00059
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Received:
18 Nov 2015;
Published Online:
30 Nov 2015.
*
Correspondence:
Ms. Mary Grace T Valentin, University of Santo Tomas, Faculty of Pharmacy, Manila, NCR, 1008, Philippines, valentin.marygrace@gmail.com