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Dementia and depression among the elderly living in the Hobart community: the effect of the diagnostic criteria on the prevalence rates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

D. W. K. Kay ,
A. S. Henderson ,
R. Scott ,
J. Wilson ,
D. Rickwood  and
D. A. Grayson
D. W. K. Kay*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Tasmania, Australia, NH and MRC Social Psychiatry Research Unit, Australian National University, Australia
A. S. Henderson
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Tasmania, Australia, NH and MRC Social Psychiatry Research Unit, Australian National University, Australia
R. Scott
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Tasmania, Australia, NH and MRC Social Psychiatry Research Unit, Australian National University, Australia
J. Wilson
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Tasmania, Australia, NH and MRC Social Psychiatry Research Unit, Australian National University, Australia
D. Rickwood
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Tasmania, Australia, NH and MRC Social Psychiatry Research Unit, Australian National University, Australia
D. A. Grayson
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Tasmania, Australia, NH and MRC Social Psychiatry Research Unit, Australian National University, Australia
*
1Address for correspondence: Professor D. W. K. Kay, 8 Grosvenor Place, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 2RB.
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Synopsis

A survey was made of 274 non-institutionalized persons aged 70 and over living in Hobart. The prevalence of dementia and of depression was measured by interviewing subjects using a modified version of the Geriatric Mental State Schedule (GMS) (Copeland et al. 1976) and the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) (Folstein et al. 1975). Rates of morbidity were derived from different diagnostic procedures. These were: (1) diagnoses made by a psychiatrist (A.S.H.) directly from the interview schedules and audiotapes, and rated as mild, moderate or severe; (2) the criteria laid down in DSM-III, converted into algorithms describing 3 degrees of severity; and (3) the algorithms for pervasive dementia and depression proposed by Gurland et al. (1983), and from these authors' rational scales. In addition, the relation between scales for dementia and for depression and the diagnosed categories was examined. Some problems in applying these methods to aged persons in the community are discussed. It is concluded that more detailed specification of criteria is desirable if the comparative epidemiology of dementia and depression in old age is to advance.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 15 , Issue 4 , November 1985 , pp. 771 - 788
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1985

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