Evolution of prevalence of depressive symptoms and antidepressant use between 1988 and 1999 in a large sample of older French people: Results from the personnes agées quid study.

OBJECTIVES

To describe the evolution of prevalence of depressive symptoms and antidepressant use between 1988 and 1999 in a large representative sample of older community-dwelling French people.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort designed in 1988/89 to study cerebral and functional aging.

SETTING

Urban and rural communities in southwestern France.

PARTICIPANTS

Three thousand six hundred thirty-seven adults aged 65 and older living in noninstitutional settings at baseline.

MEASUREMENTS

Participants were interviewed 3, 5, 8, and 10 years after the initial data collection. Depressive symptomatology was evaluated using a French version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Longitudinal analysis of the prevalence of depressive symptomatology was performed using a logistic mixed model adjusted for antidepressant use, sex, age, education level, living conditions, psychiatric antecedents, drug consumption, and diagnosis of dementia.

RESULTS

Over the 10 years of follow-up, the prevalence of depressive symptomatology decreased from 13.8% to 8.3%. This decrease was statistically significant even after adjustment (odds ratio = 0.88 per increased year, 95% confidence interval = 0.85-0.90) and was more pronounced in subjects having reported previous depression at baseline. During the same period, antidepressant use rose from 5.2% to 11.9%, mainly due to increased use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Furthermore, the proportion of subjects who had depressive symptoms and did not use antidepressants decreased from 11.8% to 6.2%.

CONCLUSION

This study suggests better management of late-life depression in the last decade and illustrates the heterogeneity of depression disorder in late life.