Study of depression level among elderly people in the rural area of Bijapur, India.

Abstract

“Population ageing” was one of the most distinctive demographic events of the twentieth century. Growth in the elderly population has led to an increase in age related diseases and mainly depression affecting quality of life. Depression in old age is an emerging public health problem leading to morbidity and disability worldwide. In India there is acute scarcity of adequately trained mental health professionals. In this context, there is need to study the level of depression in old age and an effective screening tool which can be used to detect and treat depression. OBJECTIVES: 1) To assess the prevalence of depression in elderly using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). 2) To examine the socio-demographic factors associated with depression among elderly people