Prevalence of depression among elderly in an urban slum of Bangalore, a cross sectional study

Abstract

In India the geriatric population (above 60 years) has tripled in the last 50 years. Projections are being made of close to 300 million elderly by 2050. Mental health among the elderly is an area that is largely undiscovered. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of depression among the elderly in an Urban Slum of Bangalore. An internationally validated semi-structured questionnaire Geriatric Depression Scale - Short form was administered to 210 elderly- mean age being 66.86 ± 6.35 years The Mean Geriatric Depression score was 8.34 ± 4.32 (depression is a score of < 5). The mean score among females was 10.02 ± 4.32 and among males was 6.72 ± 4.32. Thus based on the scores 109 (51.9%) elderly were depressed according to the scale, 74 out of 104 (71.15%) females and 35 out of 106 (33.02%) males. Some of the chief causes for depression were loneliness, health issues, financial insecurity, no social interaction and lack of a geriatric friendly environment. Identification of depression in the elderly is half the battle won. Several steps need to be taken to provide the elderly with social recognition, health insurance schemes, geriatric clinics and facilities for social gatherings and above all tender love and care.