WORLD JOURNAL OF ADVANCE
HEALTHCARE RESEARCH

Ali I. Hamdan*

ABSTRACT

Background: Depression is marked by prolonged periods of intense sadness or a loss of interest or enjoyment in activities. An estimated 5% of persons worldwide are thought to be depressed; nevertheless, the prevalence of depression varies by sex, age group, geographical location, and cultural background. Numerous detrimental impacts of depression on health have been linked to greater mortality from suicide and a higher risk of physical disorders. Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of depressive disorders in elderly patients attending Mosul General hospital as well as studying of other characteristics linked to depressive disorders. Methods: An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was adopted in order to achieve the objectives of the present study. All patients who were older than 60 years attending psychiatric department of Mosul general Hospital between 10th of May 2024 to the end of October 2024 had been included. The questionnaire was composed from two parts. Part one for demographic information and part two for validated Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-30) questions. Results: The study population is 200 participants; the mean age is 77.8 ± 7.8 years. The study revealed a high prevalence of depression among the old age people, affecting 79.5 % of the participants The majority of them were from the age group of 75 years and more (59.5%), males (52.5%), urban (82.5%), low educational level (illiterate, primary and secondary) (51.5%), married (66%), self-ranked unhealthy (71.5%), unemployed (78%), income level of less than 500,000 ID (75.5%), dependent (66.5%) and physical inactive (78.5%). Statistically significant differences among patients of more than 75 years (P = 0.032), urban residency (P = 0.002), low education (< 0.001) and unhealthy self-ranked (< 0.001), while no statistically significant differences were found with regards to gender, marital state, occupation, income levels, financial dependency and physical activity levels. Conclusions: Due to the high rate of depression in the elderly, recreational activities are essential for lowering depression in this population. Enhancing community-based efforts is necessary to support older individuals' independence within family units. Furthermore, screening, diagnosis, and treatment for mental health problems in older persons should begin in primary healthcare settings. Large-scale national studies should be done in order to determine mental health problems and related determinants throughout time.

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