Gulmann Nils Christian, Lolk Annette
Arhus Universitetshospital, Gerontopsykiatrisk Afdeling, Psykiatrisk Hospital i Arhus, Risskov.
Ugeskr Laeger. 2007 Apr 16;169(16):1462-5.
Affecting 3% of the old-age population and 10-20% of elderly patients with chronic medical illness or dementia, depression is an important health problem in late life. Depression with first onset in late life differs from early-onset depression clinically as well as by more organic cerebral involvement. If untreated, depression in the elderly leads to severe disability and to excess mortality by suicide and by adverse outcome of medical illness. The response to antidepressant drugs in old age is on the same level as in younger age-groups, and as less than 1 in 5 elderly people with depression is diagnosed and treated, there is substantial room for improving the prognosis of old-age depression.
抑郁症影响着3%的老年人口以及10%至20%患有慢性疾病或痴呆症的老年患者，是晚年一个重要的健康问题。晚年首次发病的抑郁症在临床症状以及大脑器质性病变方面与早发性抑郁症有所不同。如果不加以治疗，老年人的抑郁症会导致严重残疾，并因自杀和疾病不良后果而导致过高的死亡率。老年人对抗抑郁药物的反应与年轻人群体相当，由于每五名抑郁症老年人中不到一人被诊断和治疗，改善老年抑郁症的预后仍有很大空间。
