Physicians’ detection of late-life depression: The roles of dysphoria and cognitive impairment

Abstract

Objective: To examine factors that impede or facilitate physicians’ detection of depression in later life, including cognitive impairment and patients’ endorsement of dysphoria.

Methods: A population-based sample of 344 adults from the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging (SATSA) was utilized. Physician detection of depression was determined by (1) outpatient medical records, (2) antidepressant prescription, and/or (3) inpatient hospitalization. Depressive symptoms were measured by highest score on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies – Depression Scale (CES-D), administered on six occasions between 1986 and 1994. Endorsement of dysphoria was examined using two items on the CES-D. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was used to indicate cognitive impairment.

Results: One-hundred thirty-six individuals were above the cut-off on the CES-D on at least one occasion; however, only 14 of these individuals (10%) were detected as depressed by a physician. Higher CES-D total score was significantly related to physician detection. Furthermore, physicians were most likely to detect depression if the individual endorsed the single CES-D item regarding feeling depressed. A significant interaction was found, such that overall CES-D score was only associated with physician detection among those with higher endorsement of the depressed item. The association between total CES-D and physician detection was not affected by presence of cognitive impairment.

Conclusions: Depression in later life often goes undetected by physicians. Factors associated with detection include the frequency/severity of symptoms and patients’ endorsement specifically of feeling depressed. Results suggest that physicians should routinely assess for other symptoms associated with late-life depression besides dysphoria (e.g., appetite loss, crying spells).

Keywords:

• late-life depression
• physician detection
• dysphoria
• cognitive impairment

Acknowledgments

SATSA has been supported by the National Institute of Aging (R01-AG04563, R01-AG10175), the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Successful Aging, and the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research (97:0147:1B).