Depression risk factors in the elderly . A Review

Background and Aim: Older age population shows an increasing trend in Iran. According to the last national census of Iran in 2016, elderly adults constitutes 9.2% of total population; including 49% males and 51% females. Depression is a common mental disorder in the old age. According to Mental Health Foundation statistics on mental health, depression is more common in the elderly than in any other age group, affecting 20 percent of those living in the community and 40 percent of those who are living in care homes and associated with functional loss, frequent hospital re-admissions, and a higher mortality rate. Materials and Methods: In this review study, the keywords of, depression ,elderly ,mental health were searched in pubmed, google scholar and SID through 2000 – 2017. The study aimed to investigate factors affecting depression in the elderly Results: Thirty articles entered the study. According to the results ,most important factors influencing depression in the elderly include:female, disability, new disease, having previous depression, pain, cognitive impairment, functional impairment, sleep disturbance, low or no social connection, poverty and isolation. Conclusion: Since depression has a high prevalence in the elderly and affects all aspects of their lives, planning to reduce the impact of these factors on the elderly is very essential , also interventions to reduce depression such as cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and stress management are very useful for this age group.

Keywords:

depression , elderly , mental health , Risk factor