Late-life depression and the family physician

Abstract

Late-life depression (LLD) is a common disorder seen in clinical practice. Depression in this population group is often left undetected and untreated. The majority of elderly individuals who seek help present to the primary health care setting. The family physician is ideally placed to screen for symptoms of LLD, given that they often have longitudinal knowledge of the patient’s history, premorbid personality, functioning and overall health status. An understanding of risk factors, differential diagnoses, appropriate opportunistic screening tools and decision-making around management plans can assist the family physician in the early detection and treatment of these patients. In doing so, this may lead to a decrease in mortality and morbidity and enhance the patient’s quality of life.

The Assessment of Geriatric Depression Among Primary Healthcare Physicians in Buraidah City, Saudi Arabia

“…In the current study, the most common symptom for the referral was a suicidal risk at about 97.7%, psychotic symptoms at 96.9%, harm to others at 96.2%, and lastly poor response to treatment at 94.6%. Similar components for referral to psychiatrists were observed in the South African Family Medicine practice [10]. In contrast to the present study findings, a study conducted among tertiary care settings revealed that about 56.6% of patients were referred due to suicidal risk and 91.6% of patients were referred due to substance abuse [28].…”

“…By understanding these underlying factors, healthcare providers can tailor treatment approaches effectively [5]. Therefore, improving primary healthcare physicians' (PCPs') diagnostic capacity and knowledge, reducing stigma, and providing access to evidence-based treatment are critically necessary to increase the quality of life and medical results measures in the elderly population [10]. In a cross-sectional study conducted in the Riyadh region, 180 non-psychiatrist physicians were assessed for their knowledge and attitudes regarding psychiatric disorders, including depression and anxiety.…”

Depression in patients with cerebral microangiopathy

“…Среди видов депрессии особую проблему представляет депрессия позднего возраста, которая возникает после 60 лет. Уровень ее распространенности в учреждениях первичной медико-санитарной помощи составляет 6-9% [3]. Однако есть исследования, показавшие гораздо более высокие цифры.…”