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Measurements of motor behavior by actigraphy can be used in depression for diagnostic procedures and treatment evaluation. The role of actigraphic setting variables needs further clarification. Actigraphy may be used for behavioral analysis including individual regulation of motor activity as an objective parameter for evaluation of depression and other psychiatric disorders.

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Objective: To determine the presence of depressive symptoms and major depressive disorders in an epidemiological sample of elderly community residents. The influence of cognitive decline on the performance of instruments screening for depression was additionally examined. Methods: 287 subjects out of the general population aged 60-99 years were personally interviewed with standardized diagnostic tools and completed both the short version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D). The perfomance of the questionnaires was assessed by receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis. Results: Using strict diagnostic criteria, the prevalence of major depressive disorders was 3.5%. Single depressive symptoms were far more prevalent. The presence of cognitive decline reduced the specificity of the CES-D, whereas the performance of the GHQ-12 remained unaffected. Conclusions: The study revealed a discrepancy between the prevalence of major depressive disorders and single depressive symptoms in a sample of older community residents. Special attention should be paid to the presence of cognitive decline when screening for depression in the elderly. Cognitive decline may affect the results of screening instruments and lead to erroneous prevalence rates.