Half of depression cases in aged care residents undiagnosed

Around  half of the cases of clinical depression suffered by residents of aged care facilities are going undetected, Victorian researchers have found.

A recent study reported in the Gold Coast News, and conducted by Deakin University, showed that 16.9% of residents in low-level care facilities who were mildly or moderately cognitively impaired suffered clinical depression, but less than half were being treated.

“This means that many people are leading a fairly miserable existence within the nursing home system,” said Deakin’s Professor of Psychology, Marita McCabe.

“If they have undiagnosed depression they are more likely to withdraw and are more likely to experience physical symptoms such as disrupted sleep and appetite.”

Prof McCabe said it was important to combat common perceptions about ageing and depression.  “There is a myth that depression is a normal part of ageing, but it isn’t.”